Time Is A Curious Thing
by LiLaAir
Summary: Helping her friends save Elena, Bonnie is forced to work with Kai Parker. While searching for an answer, the two powerful witches are constantly fighting. But along the way, they not only come across a possible solution to the problem but also a very curious form of magic that manifests in Bonnie having vivid dreams. What do these dreams mean and why is Kai always part of them?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Hello everyone, it is time to give you another one shot of my favorite couple. Had this spinning around my head for a while now, but I couldn't build a proper story around it. And let's be honest, I have enough to do with the stories I am currently writing (promise to get back to that immediately). So, it turned into a one shot. Hope you like it. It is vaguely inspired by the book "The Time Traveler's Wife". Enjoy.**

**Beware, English is not my first language.**

**Author's note 2: Hahahahahahaha, I am laughing so hard right now at the things I wrote when I first started writing this story. Trust me, this started out as a one-shot idea, but since I am incapable of getting to the point, it became this whole story. I first started writing it in 2018, so it's been a while. I just recently found this story sitting on my laptop. I had been abandoning the story for so long, that I had no idea how exactly I wanted to end it, so I just did. Maybe it seems rushed but at least it's done. So, enjoy a one-shot turned into a whole different story. Will be updating every now and then, so make sure to come back to this.**

Time Is A Curious Thing

Chapter One

It had been a big mistake. A very big mistake, Bonnie thought to herself. How did she ever let herself get talked into working with the one person she hated the most? Sure, Damon had presented her with some undeniable advantages, but he must have been aware of the couple's history. Bonnie wondered when Damon and Kai had actually become something like friends, or maybe not friends but people who actually talk to each other without ripping each other apart. Damon had been the second biggest hater of Kai Parker, right after Bonnie, but now he was running around trusting him to help him get out of his mess and convincing Bonnie to do the same.

Maybe it was the fact that Damon Salvatore, the most stubborn person walking the planet, was willing to see past everything Kai had done in the past and give him another shot, that had Bonnie convinced. Or maybe it had been Bonnie's weakness of not being able to see her friends suffer.

Elena Gilbert, her best friend since childhood, was in danger. Again. Ever since she became human again, vampires from all over the world came searching for her. Either to kidnap her and present her as a gift to the almighty Klaus Mikaelson, or to drain her of her blood and become human themselves. Bonnie couldn't let either thing happen. So, she agreed on working with the only other witch that was left in town.

Kai had promised to help figure out a way to protect Elena and make her disappear from the supernatural radar. Up until now, all Bonnie had come up with was sealing her inside the Salvatore Boarding House. Kai had added a cloaking spell to that idea but they both knew this was only a temporary solution because they couldn't lock Elena inside a house for the rest of her life.

That was why she was spending more and more time with the psychopath that claimed to have changed, so they could discuss new ways of approaching the entire situation. Until now, they had come up with nothing and Elena seemed to get a little impatient. Understandably so, but Bonnie couldn't help her if she was constantly busy arguing with the one person that could help her figure this out.

Bonnie didn't like to admit it, but Kai could be the one to crack this thing. He had endless resources, given that he had an entire coven of witches and lore to his disposal. But it seemed like he wasn't willing to fully use any of that. That was one of the reasons Bonnie was always so mad at him. The other was that he was a constant pain in her ass.

Like right now, when they had met up at the Salvatore Boarding House to look through some of the grimoires Bonnie had finally convinced Kai to bring along. The Gemini had been holding back on his coven's secrets, which only made Bonnie more curious. It seemed like the Gemini were a wary bunch in general. Liv used to be as reserved in sharing her knowledge as Kai now was and from all she had heard, their father had been the one to teach them that move.

Bonnie sighed silently to herself as she realized that all her thinking wasn't going to make this situation any more comfortable for herself. She reached out an arm to grab one of his grimoires that he wasn't reading but he reached out his own hand to keep her from pulling it towards herself.

His eyes were still glued to the open book in front of him and he didn't acknowledge her by looking up when he spoke. "You won't find the answer in this one."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to see it. "How do you know? Are you clairvoyant all of a sudden?"

"No, but I know that the answers you are seeking aren't going to be in this book.", Kai stated matter-of-factly, still not looking up.

"Then why did you bring it in the first place?", Bonnie sounded more annoyed now. Her pulse was getting up already. Kai had a habit of getting under her skin even if he didn't try.

At least now he had the decency to look into her eyes. "I don't have to explain myself to you. I brought the grimoire, end of story. Not everything I do has to be revolving around you, Miss Bennett.", he fired back with spite.

Bonnie was a little taken aback by his undertone. She had yet to believe that he actually changed for the better, but she had to admit that he had been more calm and friendly, at least towards her. Ever since his failed attempt at an apology at the rave, Kai seemed to be very careful not to get on Bonnie's bad side. Which he regularly did, but not because he intended to but because she simply couldn't stand him. It was more her fault than his. But his spiteful undertone right now was a little off-putting and Bonnie's alarm signals went haywire.

"If you want to keep secrets from me, fine. But I was under the impression that you wanted to _help me_ find a way to save Elena. You know Elena? The living, breathing human that we locked up in this ivy tower to safe her from the supernatural world that is out there? Or have you forgotten why we are here? Maybe you haven't even been serious about helping in the first place.", Bonnie spoke and didn't even realized that she had talked herself in a random rant.

"I'm sorry that I am not willing to share thousand years of coven secrets with a witch that wants to see me dead.", Kai tried to defend his actions.

"Oh, that really isn't the point here. If I wanted you dead you would be, I don't need your stupid coven secrets to accomplish that. But you should understand that there is a life on the line here. My friends life is on the line and –", Bonnie interrupted herself as she looked right into Kai's eyes. "Right, who am I telling this? You never cared for a single soul in your life. You were just born without the burden of caring, so you don't even begin to understand what it means to be fighting for the people that you love because you don't know what love is. You don't know what a basic human emotion is."

"Oh good, keep coming up with the 'you're a sociopath'-excuse. That's all you guys can ever do, right? Blame it on the heartless monster. If Elena gets killed, you can all just say that it was my fault since I was never really trying. But let me tell you something, I don't need to care about her to help. I am not the one boycotting this investigation right now.", Kai replied with fury.

"You mean, I am?"

"Seems like it, since you want to waste your time on fighting and looking through grimoires that don't have any useful information in them."

"I know you think you are the almighty coven leader and know everything, but let me tell you something: sometimes two sets of eyes see more. Maybe you missed something before. Teamwork is about actually working together and letting yourself get questioned by the other. Maybe you would have learned how to work with others if your daddy hugged you more often. Maybe you wouldn't be such a screwup if you had tried being a bit more lovable as a kid, so that they actually cared about teaching you any decent human skills.", Bonnie yelled. She knew her words had been hard and if she had told them to anyone else but Kai, she would have regretted them as soon as she spoke them. But Kai was a monster and he didn't deserve her sympathy. If she needed to work with him to safe her friend she would, but no one ever said she needed to be nice to him in the process. Still, she couldn't help but notice the hurt that briefly flashed through Kai's eyes before it turned back to anger.

Kai abruptly stood up and half-bent over the table to Bonnie's side. He had smashed the "forbidden" grimoire on the table in front of her, opening it at some random page. "You have no idea what you are talking about, and frankly you have no right to judge me. If you don't trust me, fine. Waste your time and see for yourself.", Kai said through gritted teeth grabbing Bonnie's hands aggressively and placing them on the opened page. There was a flickering light from a nearby lamp and the wind spiked up noticeably, but Bonnie couldn't pay too much attention to it because Kai turned around after pushing down on her hands again and left the room.

Bonnie felt a prickling feeling where Kai had touched her. His outburst had left her in wonders. There was too much she didn't understand about Kai Parker, and this situation had been one of the many things. Had he been so furious because of what she said about his family? Or had it been her constant mistrust? Bonnie looked to the place where Kai had disappeared to and kept staring at it as if it would give her some answers. After a while she shook herself back to reality and tented to the book in front of her.

The page that was opened was about time travel. Or some sort of it. It wasn't a physical time travel, where someone was going to be sent back in time to change history and interact with anyone. It was more like a mind-travel. A spell that allowed the caster to enter a certain person's mind and relive special memories but like they were participating. That was the difference between real time travel and this spell. It was only limited to one person's memories. Maybe only parts of them. And you had to have an emotional connection to the person you wanted to interact with in the past, otherwise it wouldn't work.

As interesting as this sounded, Bonnie had to admit that this was certainly not going to help with their Elena problematic. Bonnie sighed and shut the book, annoyed and frustrated. Her gaze wandered to the windows and she realized that it had already turned dark outside. With a quick look to her phone she saw that it was way past midnight.

Bonnie had planned on spending the night at the Boarding House anyways and now it seemed like she had reached her breaking point for today. Without a second thought she left the mess Kai and her had made on the table be and went upstairs to find a room and get some sleep.

Even though she was still emotionally upset because of her dispute with Kai earlier, she felt her eyelids getting heavy. She quickly got ready for bed and as soon as she lay underneath the warm blanket she was already drifting off to sleep.

The dream she was having that night was as vivid as real life. She found herself standing in back yard of some big house. The property was framed with trees, the outskirts of a dark forest that lay behind. Bonnie was standing by the tree line, observing the silent back yard. She was curious as to whom this property might belong, but something told her to stay in the shadows for a while.

Suddenly, a few small heads appeared at the clearing. Four children came running towards the woods, seemingly playing catch. Three of them were boys, with red and dark hair and one of them was a girl with bright blond hair. The dark-haired boy who seemed to be the youngest of the group was being chased by the others. The kids' laughter and screams were incomprehensible but Bonnie could still make it out. Suddenly the dark-haired boy turned around to the others and reached out his hands. Something about that gesture made the other kids hesitate and Bonnie watched them talk to the small boy before they went running the other direction. Soon, Bonnie couldn't see them anymore.

The young boy was now alone on the big lawn, heading towards a small bush near where Bonnie was hiding. He hadn't noticed her yet and now Bonnie's gut told her to come out of hiding.

The boy had taken an interest in watching some beetles on a rock nearby and Bonnie was drawn to him. With every step she took, she could see him more clearly. He couldn't be older than 6, maybe 7. His hair was short and tousled, probably from playing with his friends. His face was cute, he still had the big eyes of a little kid, which made him look adorable. He wore blue jeans which had a cut right above his right knee and a plain green t-shirt.

Bonnie didn't know why but she was drawn to the young boy. So, she kept on walking towards him. When she accidentally stepped on a stick the boy finally noticed her. He turned around, being startled form the sound and watched her with his big eyes. They were only surprised for a second though before something in them turned curious. Other kids might have been scared by seeing a stranger walk through their back yard, but this kid seemed to be different.

"Hello.", the kid said with a steady and curious voice.

"Hey there.", Bonnie answered stopping in her tracks a few steps away from him so she wouldn't scare him.

"What are you doing by the trees?", the boy asked.

"I- this might sound crazy, but I actually don't know.", Bonnie admitted and scratched her head. She had no idea what was happening right now.

"Are you a vampire?", the voice of the little boy brought her back to reality.

"Do you know something about vampires?", Bonnie asked, surprised about his question and curious if he was talking about real vampires or if it was just his imagination.

"I know that they aren't nice and that you are supposed to stay away from them. They dink your blood and manipulate you into doing bad things."

The kid was actually not wrong, and it seemed like he wasn't dumb either. Even though she had the slight feeling that he might still engage with a vampire if he ever saw one. He seemed like the curious type.

"Well, good for you because I am not a vampire.", Bonnie said with a smile.

"That's what I would say. Prove it." The little human was one of the sharp ones, Bonnie realized. His big eyes were resting on her while he was waiting patiently for her prove. She now realized that his eyes had the color of a stormy ocean, not the dark brown she had anticipated. He reminded her of someone, but she let it slip because she realized she was dreaming and figured that her subconscious must be projecting people she knew onto this little boy.

He was still watching her with wary eyes and then Bonnie decided to show him a little secret. "Can a vampire do this?", she asked and whirled her hand around in the air, making the leaves on the ground fly up and around the boy until Bonnie dropped her hand and the leaves dropped along with it. The boy was smiling brightly at her.

"You're a witch!", he exclaimed.

"Yes, I am. But shhhh, you can't tell anyone." Bonnie bent down to him and put her fingers on her lips.

"Don't worry, I can keep your secret.", the boy waved her off. "Are you here for the convention then?"

"What convention?", Bonnie asked.

"The convention of the covens. They are here to discuss important witch things and decide who gets what territory."

Bonnie blinked, a little confused. It seemed like the boy really knew something about witchcraft. Where the hell did she go? This dream seemed more and more like one of her visions. She hadn't had one in a long time, but she remembered that they also felt so real, just like this.

"I'm not sure actually. I think I might've come here by accident. Can you tell me where we are?", Bonnie asked while taking another look at her surroundings.

"New Orleans. Are you sure you are a witch? You don't seem to know a lot of things about it.", the curious boy asked.

"Well, trust me I know a lot of things. I am just a little confused at the moment, that's all.", Bonnie admitted and looked back at the boy. "So, are you here for the convention then?"

"Yes, my family dragged me here. I don't know why. I feel like I am one of the topics they came here to discuss but no one really talks to me. It's quite boring here."

Bonnie frowned at his comment. Why would a bunch of witch covens discuss about a little boy? What was going on here? And why the hell was she in New Orleans?

"If you are bored, why don't you go back to playing with your friends?", Bonnie tried to redirect the conversation since she realized the kid had become a little sad.

"They are not my friends. They are my sister's friends, but they don't like me. They tease me and call me names and I can't do anything about it because they are bigger than me." The boy was watching the ground now, looking sadder than before. Something about this view made Bonnie's heart break a little. She realized that the kids hadn't played catch with each other but had been chasing the poor child against his will. But he didn't seem to be helpless either. He had managed to get them to stop.

"You know, you don't need to be afraid of them just because they are bigger than you. Bullies are always going to try to intimidate you, but you can't let that get to you. You must fight back, otherwise this will never end.", Bonnie tried to encourage him.

The boy looked up at her and after a while he smiled brightly at her. "You're kind of odd.", he said while giggling.

Bonnie had to chuckle herself. Something about this boy seemed so familiar and she had to admit she liked him. "Me? Why is that?"

"I don't know. You're just different then everyone else.", he admitted.

"Is that good or bad?", Bonnie wanted to know. Something inside her wanted him to like her, she felt like he could use a friend.

"Good, I guess. I don't know yet."

"Well, maybe it helps if I introduce myself first.", Bonnie reached out her hand. "Hi, my name is Bonnie."

The boy smiled and took her hand. He was about to reply to her when they heard a voice shout in the distance. They boy's head turned into the direction of the voice and he breathed in audibly.

"I have to go. My dad is calling for me. It was nice meeting you, Bonnie." He had let go of her hand and was running backwards now. Bonnie wanted to stop him and ask him for his name, but he had already turned around and was halfway at the house. Again, something in her gut told her to stay right where she was and not go after the boy. She kept looking after the small figure getting smaller and smaller in the distance and then her vision got blurry.

Bonnie awoke with a heavy heartbeat. She was coated in sweat and her blanket was wrapped around her legs in a crumpled way. Bonnie had to breath heavily and it took her a minute to realize where she was. The dream had been so weird and so real. She had a feeling that it might really have been a vision, that it had to do with the little boy, but she couldn't be sure. If it was a vision, she had no idea what to do with it. Was she supposed to safe the kid? Or was it about the coven meeting? Nothing in this dream had made sense to her. She had just talked to a freaking kid, what the hell was she supposed to do now?

Bonnie decided not to pay too much attention to the dream, since she had more important stuff to take care of. She climbed out of bed and into the shower. Getting ready, she braced herself for yet another day of butting heads with Kai.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

She ran into Kai sooner than she expected. She was sitting at the dining table in the Salvatore kitchen, chatting with Elena while sipping her coffee when she heard the door open. Bonnie instantly rolled her eyes because she knew exactly who it would be. She didn't have to see him to feel his presence. Elena only watched her with wonder in her eyes and when Kai stepped into the kitchen, she realized that Bonnie had just recognized him by his footsteps. She looked at her with a smug grin and Bonnie had to hit her arm for her to drop it before she mentally prepared herself for Kai's unstoppable babbling.

It never came though. He only noted to her that he was hitting the grimoires in the library and disappeared again. He didn't even make her join him like he usually did. Bonnie looked at Elena in question, but the brunette only shrugged, not seeing the problem. Maybe she was right, maybe Bonnie was thinking too much into all of it and Kai had just learned how to behave around her. But even though she tried to tell herself that, while she got up to join him in the library, she didn't believe herself.

When she entered the dark room, she found him at the small table in the corner of the room. He was facing her with his back and seemed to be focused on something written in the book in front of him. On her way over to him, Bonnie grabbed one of the other grimoires and dropped it on the table next to Kai making him startle.

"Jesus, are you trying to kill me?", Kai said, a little out of breath.

"Sorry, I didn't even see you there.", Bonnie scoffed and plopped down on the chair next to Kai which made him wince once more.

"What the hell is going on with you this morning?", Bonnie asked scornfully. It was not like she bothered but it was odd how he was so easily scared today, considering that he was the almighty big bad coven leader and all.

"Nothing, I just didn't sleep that well, okay?", Kai responded in defense.

Bonnie turned her head lightly to have a better look at him. He did seem a little tired, there were light shadows forming underneath his eyes and even though he was looking down at the pages in front of him, Bonnie noticed that he wasn't reading them. It seemed like he was lost in his thoughts. What could possibly have happened to make Kai Parker lose his cool like that?

Bonnie wasn't in the mood to ask him and so she refocused her energy on finding a solution to the problem. They spent the first few hours in more or less complete silence, which was actually more comfortable since they didn't waste so much time arguing. It was also odd because she never thought it would be possible to spend an entire morning with Kai and not get her ear talked off. He tended to do so.

At noon, Elena crashed their little silent party and kidnapped Bonnie into the kitchen where she was about to make some lunch. When she was done, she also invited Kai to join them but he declined. Another weird thing since he would never decline food. Was he sick or something?

Bonnie wanted to slap herself for worrying about him like that. What difference would it make if he was sick? She didn't care about him, she didn't necessarily need him to look through the grimoires, she could do that herself and maybe ask for Caroline's help if it really came down to it.

When they resumed their work, she kept glancing at him but she couldn't find any indication to an illness. Maybe he was acting like this only due to lack of sleep. In the late evening hours, as they had spent yet another day without finding a solution, Bonnie closed the grimoire and sighed. There was still time to research further but she figured that she and Kai could use a break.

Bonnie told him to stay at the Boarding House, to grab one of the free rooms and get some rest. Not because she cared, she told herself, but because he was more useful with 100 % of his focus on the subject at hand. Before she went to bed herself, she went up to Damon's room where Elena was watching TV. The two girls had a little talk about this and that before Bonnie felt the exhaustion catching up with her. Maybe the weird dream from last night had drained her more than she thought. She quickly hugged Elena and went back to the room she had occupied last night.

As soon as her head hit the pillows she was out. Her last thought was that tonight, she would have a dreamless night.

Which she didn't. The feeling she had felt during last night's dream had instantly returned as she found herself in a dark corner of some house. She shivered a little from the cold air that filled the room. In the far she could see small windows at the very top of the walls. She figured that she was in some sort of basement and started pacing around.

There were shelves, filled with preserving jars, milk and orange juice cans and other utensils for a household that seemed to have at least one child since she also found diapers. As she looked around in the small room, she heard the door to the upper floor being opened.

There was a dark male voice saying something in a harsh tone and the sound of feet getting dragged across the floor. The voice of a kid that sounded desperate and pleading filled Bonnie's ear and she shivered again, but not from the cold. Then the door got slammed.

For a while it was completely silent in the basement and Bonnie wondered if the kid had disappeared again but then she heard the scuffling of two feet as the kid went down the small wooden staircase into the basement. Bonnie tried to hide further into the corner she was hiding in, not wanting to get seen. Then she caught a glimpse of the boy in the corner of her eye and she turned around to take a closer look.

The boy from last night was now sitting on the wooden stair, arms resting in his legs and his hands up to hold his head. His facial expression was a mixture of a pout and honest desperation. He was wearing cargo shorts and a demin jeans jacket. In comparison to the last time she saw him, he looked a little out of time, but the 90s were coming back heavily, weren't they? Somehow Bonnie got the feeling this wasn't his first time down here. Slowly, not to scare him, Bonnie stepped out of the dark and peeked around the corner.

"Hey there champ.", Bonnie whispered, and the kid looked up into her direction. It took him a second to recognize her but then his facial expression lit up.

"Bonnie? Is that you?"

"In the flesh!", Bonnie went to stand in front of the boy and took in his features in detail. He didn't seem to be much older than the last time she saw him, but he seemed a little thinner. He hadn't been a bulky kid before, but now he seemed more fragile.

"What are you doing here?", the boy wants to know. "How did you get into my house?"

"Oh, so this is your house, heh? I was wondering where I ended up." Bonnie pointed at the place right next to the child and he scooted over so Bonnie was able to sit down next to him. "I'm not too sure why I'm here again but maybe it has to do with you?"

"Me? Why me?"

"Not sure, but this is the second time I pop up and the only constant between the two events is you. Haven't talked to anyone else, haven't seen anyone else. Just you." Bonnie lightly bumped her side into his to lighten his dark mood, but it only seemed to make him brood more.

"Then it can't be good. Nothing good ever happens when I'm around.", he said and let his head hang low.

Bonnie wasn't too experienced when it came to talking to kids. The only kid she actually knew was her neighbor's little daughter and she only ever told her about her newest toy when Bonnie passed her by. This kid didn't seem to be too worried about new toys, it seemed like he had real issues. Bonnie swallowed and decided to just go for it. This was only just a dream slash vision, this wasn't real or wasn't real yet, so there was no way she would screw this up.

"Wanna tell me why you are down here when you can be up there playing games?", Bonnie asked.

The boy sighed. Maybe he wouldn't open up to her, after all she had only seen him once before. She wouldn't talk to her either if she were in his shoes. But she felt oddly connected to the kid already and maybe he was feeling the same.

"Even if I could get back up there, I wouldn't be able to play. We have magic lessons right now and dad doesn't allow us to skip. It takes the entire afternoon and after that my sister is always so tired that she doesn't want to play anymore.", the boy explained.

"And you aren't?", Bonnie kept asking to get the whole picture.

"No, I never make it to the end of the lesson. I mostly screw up and dad gets angry and tells me to go to the basement until he is done with Josie." His voice was filled with sadness and something else, disappointment. The weird thing is that he seemed to be disappointed in himself.

Bonnie started to feel furious with the father of the boy. She hadn't even met the guy, but she knew if she did, she would have to hold herself back from punching his face. How could he punish his kid like this for something that he had no control over? Witchcraft was hard and it took time to learn, Bonnie knew that all too well. Exiling his son into the basement was cruel and completely inefficient. He wouldn't get better a magic if he spent all his time in the cold and dusty cellar.

"Why don't you just leave this place. It's way too wet and dark down here.", Bonnie suggested, trying to get the kid out of this unsettling environment.

"Can't. Dad locked the door. I have to wait until he lets me out."

Bonnie didn't know what was worse, the fact that the boy was locked up down here or that he talked about it like he accepted his fate, like it was his fault. Bonnie suddenly got up and went up to the door to check it.

"What are you doing? It's locked we can't get out. I already tried everything and I don't have magic to open it.", he said.

"Well, but I do.", Bonnie said. She felt it lingering inside her and was positive that she would get them out. The child was on his feet now and took a few steps towards her. His eyes glowed from the prospect of escape.

"What do you say, we get this door opened and sneak out of the house? Maybe we can visit the Fresh quarter and get some ice cream.", Bonnie suggested.

The boy only frowned at her. "French quarter? We're not in New Orleans anymore, Bonnie."

"No? Then where are we?", Bonnie wondered out loud but before the kid could answer her, they both startled because of an angry male voice coming from the other side of the door.

"Who the hell are you talking to?", the voice, that Bonnie recognized from earlier, yelled. The boy's eyes widened and he indicated Bonnie to stay silent.

"No one, sir. I'm talking to myself.", he yelled back.

There was a sound reaching through the wooden door, as someone slammed something, maybe a fist, onto it. "You know the rules. Stay quiet until I get you. You got it?", the deep voice asked angrily.

The body stayed silent and Bonnie watched the poor kiddo as his shoulders started to hang down and his face turned sad again. She wanted to reach out to him and comfort him but the male voice on the other side made her alarm bell ring again.

"MALACHAI, ARE WE CLEAR?"

Bonnie's eyes widened in shock. Everything in her head started overlapping as she looked at the kid once more and realization hit her. The way he was dressed. The way she had found him familiar the first time she looked at him. The way he mentioned his sister Josie. His ocean blue eyes. His eyes. Why hadn't she recognized his eyes? They had been haunting her in her nightmares ever since he had left her in the prison world. There wasn't a day that she didn't see them in her mind and she literally saw them today. It seemed impossible not to notice the connection.

Maybe it had been too hard to see because this kid had shown genuine emotions in his eyes and Kai was an emotionless killer. If any of what she was experiencing right now was true, how the hell did this poor little boy become this ruthless man?

"Yes, sir.", the little version of Kai replied to his father like a little soldier and Bonnie could hear the footsteps leading away from the door.

She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. She was in shock. This was Kai standing in front of her. Poor, innocent Kai. She had felt sorry for the kid a second ago, now she didn't know what she was feeling anymore. What the hell did she get herself into now? She wanted to believe that this was just a dream, but a witch knows when there is more going on. And this was one of those times.

"I think he's gone now.", Kai whispered and was about to turn around again but stopped seeing the expression on her face. "Are you okay?"

Bonnie couldn't say anything, she just kept on staring at him. It seemed to freak the young boy out as he took a few steps backwards. What an irony that he was trying to escape her. Wasn't it the other way around just a few month ago?

"I- I think I'm leaving again.", Bonnie finally got out the words as she felt a drag on her inner core.

"So soon? Am I going to see you again?", Kai looked a little disappointed.

"I'm not sure.", she lied because she knew exactly that he would see her again, but she couldn't say anything else because she awoke in her bed, once again covered in sweat and breathing heavily.

Her heart was beating like she had run a marathon and she couldn't move. The shockwave that hit her just a few moments earlier made that impossible. Kai, she had seen Kai in her dream. She had no idea what that meant, and she didn't really know if any of it was real. But it felt so real and the boy had looked just like him. Of course, she couldn't be sure that Kai had actually looked like this when he was a kid and she couldn't very well ask him if he had a photo of himself as a 7-year-old. She needed to be cautious. If this was anything else than a simple dream, it meant something. She was supposed to do something, to prevent something or to help someone, normally in the present. But she wasn't seeing things in the present but in the past. How was she supposed to act? She didn't even know if she was really interacting with anyone at all or if it was only her imagination. Maybe she could only be seen by Kai.

Kai. A shiver went down her spine as she thought of the sociopath that was currently residing in one of the other rooms. She remembered him being off the entire day and saying that he had trouble sleeping. Had he experienced the same thing as her? She couldn't risk telling him. If he didn't share the dream with her, he would certainly find a way to taunt her with the information or use her vulnerability in the night to hurt her.

No, she was going to keep her mouth shut until she knew what this was. Unfortunately, she wouldn't have too much time to figure it out since she had more pressing issues at hand. When the thought of Elena popped into her head, she realized that she couldn't waste more time laying around like this. She needed to find a solution and she couldn't do that while being lazy.

So, she got up and ready for the day heading for the library only to find it abandoned. Kai was nowhere to be found and she wondered if he had left the house early in the morning. Or he was sleeping in, after all, the bastard didn't have any good motivation to help her find a solution to the Elena problem. Maybe he got tired of all the reading and left. Something that Bonnie had expected him to do way earlier, if she was honest. Bonnie ignored the little pinch inside her as she thought about the possibility to be in this alone. She hadn't been around many witches in her life, and frankly she'd rather prefer spending her time with any other witch, but Kai was undeniably of her kind. He grew up around witches, even if he didn't have powers of his own back then. He knew about lore and spells beyond Bonnie's imagination. Going through his grimoires had been fascinating for Bonnie and all the different ways to do magic like using the power of stars or creating magic through the purity of two peoples' emotions, not even needing to say the spell out loud, Bonnie had found out about were amazing. There was so much she hadn't known and Kai, as uncomfortable as it was being around him, gave her the feeling of belonging somewhere.

Bonnie shook her head as she realized what she was thinking. Kai didn't mean anything to her and he didn't have any redeeming qualities, so he wasn't helping her do anything.

Bad for her he was in the possession of important grimoires that seemed to have vanished along with him. Bonnie rolled her eyes and searched the room not finding anything. She even tried a search-spell even though she knew that it wouldn't work. Grimoires were highly guarded objects. Every witch was keen on making it as hard to steal as possible.

Bonnie sighed and decided that she would get upstairs again and search the room he had stayed in, maybe he left them behind. She had no idea in which room he had stayed so she just burst into every single one, not trying to be careful. After she entered the third room, she stopped though. There he was, lying in the bed and sleeping with a grimoire dragged across his chest. The other books lay on the side of his bed. Bonnie was surprised to see him here, she had figured that he had left but from the looks of it, he had been studying the books for a long while.

Bonnie moved closer to the sleeping sociopath, now very keen on being silent. She told herself that she didn't want to wake him because she didn't want to put up with his morning grumpiness, a thing she remembered he had from spending so much time around him in '94. When she had reached the side of his bed, she took a closer look at him.

He looked drained, even though he was sleeping. Bonnie wondered how long he had been up in the night for looking so tired. But he also looked cute. His features were completely relaxed and he looked about 5 years younger. Bonnie was suddenly spooked when she realized this. It reminded her of her dreams and of baby-Kai. The boy had been so sweet and adorable, she couldn't believe that he would turn out to become such a monster. Not that she didn't understand that now. If what she experienced with his dad had really happened, anyone could have ended up snapping in the end. Still, it was no excuse.

Bonnie leaned over his sleeping form and carefully reached for the grimoires on the other side of the bed. She was careful not to make any sound or touch him so he would stay asleep. Luckily, she managed to grab one grimoire without waking him up but it was heavier than she had anticipated and it slipped out of her fingers and fell right onto Kai's stomach.

The warlock started up from his sleep and was sitting in the bed within a second of time. He looked around, confused as to what was going on, and when he finally found Bonnie's face he frowned.

"What- are you doing?", he asked out of breath.

"I-", Bonnie stuttered, feeling like she was caught in the act of doing something illegal. But she didn't, so she shook her head and tried to explain once more. "I was coming for this.", Bonnie said while grabbing the grimoire she just dropped on him.

Kai seemed to need a second to figure out what she was talking about but then his features indicated that he understood. With a groan he let himself fall back into the pillows, covering his eyes with his left hand. "Jesus, I think you gave me a heart attack."

"Don't be overdramatic.", Bonnie scoffed and wanted to turn around and leave but he called out for her to stop.

"Wait, Bonster. I think I found something."

Bonnie quickly turned around as she heard the news and was too excited to call him out to the nickname he used. She went back to the bed and watched Kai drag out an old looking spell book from underneath a pile of other grimoires.

"So, there is this very ancient ex-leader of the Gemini Coven that wrote tons of books on various topics. He was kind of mad, so most of the things he wrote about are crap but when I went through this book-," Kai opened the book on a certain page and Bonnie stooped closer to see properly. "I found this weird text that is written in some gibberish language and I was about to toss it away when I found this."

Kai pointed at some small sign in the corner of the page. The page was so yellowed that it was hard to make out anything and Bonnie had to take the grimoire from Kai's hands to see what he was showing her. The symbol was a rune, whose meaning Bonnie didn't know. "What is this?", Bonnie asked as she looked up from the book and locked gazes with Kai. She handed the book back to him.

"It's a Gemini symbol. Back in the day, coven members used to decode important spells and information so that no one would steal them. Most of the texts were decoded years ago, except for the ones that are deemed too dangerous. The rune is telling us what the text is about in general and that is why I think this might help us."

"Why? What does it show?", Bonnie asked. She was so intrigued by his story that she hadn't realized that she had crawled onto the bed next to him. Kai scooped over a little so that Bonnie was able to sit more comfortably.

"It's a mixture of two ancient runes. One could be translated as 'the cure' and the other stands for Qetsiyah."

"Your ancestor knew Qetsiyah?", Bonnie was surprised.

"I doubt it.", Kai said while turning away from her to reach for his phone. "This dude came way after Qetsiyah. But there used to be a fraction within the Gemini Coven that was obsessed with her work. I think he might have been an important part of them. I can translate the texts, all I need is the codebreaker."

For the first time, Bonnie felt something like hope in their matter. It wasn't much, maybe even nothing, but they had to figure it out. "Good, how long will it take you to translate?"

"The translation will be done in no time, it's the retrieving of the codebreaker that is the problem.", Kai said and typed something into his phone. Then he looked up at her. "And I will need your help to get it."

Bonnie frowned. "My help? What do I have to do with any of this?"

"The codebreakers were all stored in some Gemini archive. As a teenager I was really eager to get my hands on them to use them on some really nasty hexes so my father sealed the archive up, so that I wouldn't be able to get to them."

Bonnie rolled her eyes as she heard about the typical Kai-related drama. "And what am I supposed to do about it."

"Well, actually it was your grams that sealed up the place."

Bonnie stared at him for a while. This was news to her. She knew Grams was involved with the Geminis somehow, but she hadn't realized it was for anything else but creating Kai's prison world. "You need my blood?"

"Ahhh, I wish it were that easy. She sealed the place up with her magic, so I need you to be there to open it."

"Brilliant.", Bonnie commented. "Okay, tell me what I am looking for and I'll go get that stupid book for you."

Kai breathed in, seemingly wanting to say something but he closed his mouth once more.

"What now?", Bonnie asked annoyed.

"You can't go into the archive."

"What? Come on, this is stupid. I know you guys are secretive as hell, but I have read all of the books you have brought lately. I promise not to take anything else. Just give me the location and we can get on with it."

"It's not that. I mean, you are physically not able to get into the archive. It is bound to be only open to members of the Gemini Coven unless you get personally invited into the building by an Elder or the leader. It's a little like vampires and houses, I need to be there to invite you in."

Bonnie looked at him and tried to keep her face as blank as possible. In order for him to decode the text, they would have to go get the codebreaker- together. She kept quiet for a long while and that made Kai talk again.

"I know there is a work around. My father didn't have a Bennett to his disposal 24/7 and he needed the unlimited access to the archives. So, there is a way to get into it without needing Bennett magic but I don't know it. I could find out, but it's gonna take me a while. I know I am not your favorite person,-" Kai handed Bonnie his phone. When she looked at the screen she saw what he was typing in it. He was at some airline website, trying to book two tickets to Seattle for tomorrow. "-so, this is your choice."

It was. She was able to choose if she wanted to make a trip to Seattle with the nemesis sitting next to her, or if she wanted to stay in safe distance to him. It was ironic since she was literally sitting only inches from him, in his bed. When she realized this she suddenly felt uncomfortable and tried to scoop away a little. But she knew she needed this topic figured out sooner rather than later.

It was really not a choice at all. Elena couldn't spend the rest of her now human life within these walls. Bonnie sighed and clicked on the book-button on the website, handing Kai his phone back. He silently took it, nodding to himself.

Bonnie wanted to get out of his bed and as far away from him as possible. But something made her stay. She absentmindedly stared at the closet in front of her, not realizing that Kai had said something.

"Hello, earth to Bonnie. You okay?"

Bonnie turned around to look at Kai. Her eyes locked with his and suddenly she was entranced by the ocean-blues. They were so stormy all the time or shining with mischief but right now she saw honest concern in them. It reminded her of the little boy she saw in her dreams. Maybe he wasn't completely gone after all.

No! What was she doing? What was she thinking? She needed to find a solution to this dream-problem or otherwise spending this much time with Kai would end up being her downfall. She couldn't let herself feel like this about him. Kai was a murderer and not capable of feelings. Bonnie shook her head and tried to get off the bed by moving backwards.

"Yeah, all good.", she started talking while retracing from his side. She didn't anticipate the edge of the bed to come this early, so she couldn't help it when she fell off the bed a second later.

"Ouch.", Bonnie let out as she landed on her ass. Kai's concerned face peaked over the side of the bed.

"You okay?"

Bonnie quickly got up from the floor and cleaned herself up. "Sure. I just- I mean- I have to pack my stuff. I'll- see you tomorrow I guess." Bonnie stuttered, trying not to sound too weird but failing miserably by the looks on Kai's face.

"Yeah, I guess.", he hesitantly replied. Bonnie nodded once more before she awkwardly turned around and left his room. What the hell had just happened? She tried to tell herself that she was only so creeped out because she embarrassed herself in front of Kai, but deep inside her she knew that was not it. She didn't care what he thought of her, so why would she care what he thought about her little fall? Why would she care about him at all?

Instead of getting home and getting her stuff ready, Bonnie ran back to the room in the Boarding House she had stayed in for the last days. She grabbed her grimoire from the bed and tried to find anything on blocking spells. She needed to get rid of these dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Are you sure you don't want me to come along and kick his ass as soon as he tries anything?"

"First, yes, and second I am very capable of kicking his ass myself, thank you Damon.", Bonnie replied before filling her mouth with another spoonful of the soup Damon had made for dinner.

Damon raised his hands in defeat. "Just wanted to make sure."

"Bonnie is a big girl, if she thinks she can handle Kai she can. You can, right?", Caroline's voice was suddenly concerned.

Bonnie chuckled. "Okay guys, enough with the concern. I know what I am doing. And yes, Caroline I can handle him, no need to offer to come along as backup either."

"I wasn't-", Caroline started but stopped when she saw Bonnie's face. "Okay, maybe I did. But only because he is like your archenemy and spending time with him wouldn't exactly be your first choice. I was going to offer to be a buffer. We all know you two could need one."

Bonnie smiled, knowing Caroline was right. But she wouldn't ask anyone to be her buffer or backup. She could handle this. She needed to do this alone so she could prove to herself that nothing she had dreamed about changed anything. Because it didn't.

"Guys, I'll head home. I need to rest a little or otherwise I will lose my cool the second I get into Kai's car." Bonnie got up from her place.

"You're driving to Seattle?", Elena wanted to know.

"No, we'll take the plane but we're going to the airport together.", Bonnie explained.

"If I didn't know who you're going with I'd think this could be a great opportunity to get cozy.", Caroline laughed.

Damon and Bonnie glared daggers at the blond vampire. Elena didn't seem too offended by the comment, even though she had been kidnaped by the sociopath in the past. Bonnie decided that Caroline's comment wasn't worth commenting. After all, it was just Caroline being the hopeless romantic that she is. She doubted that she had wanted to hurt her with the comment.

Bonnie quickly hugged her friends and assured them to stay in contact, then she headed outside to her car. When she was at home she looked at her watch. She had another 8 hours before Kai would pick her up. Enough time to get all the ingredients she needed for the potion she was about to make. A dream blocking potion that was supposed to keep bad spirits at bay. Bonnie had used it before when she had a series of nightmares after Klaus' first attack. It worked really well but you shouldn't use it longer than a week or the nightmares would return even worse. But she was only going to use it for the next three nights or so, so she was in the clear.

It took Bonnie about an hour to finish the potion. She was starting to feel sleepy, so she took her first portion of it. She didn't want to have another dream this night, not if she had to see Kai again in the morning and spent an entire day by his side.

Bonnie went upstairs to her bedroom and packed the stuff she needed for the trip, securing the potion deep within her bag. After that she changed and went to bed, hoping that this night was going to be calmer.

…

She resurfaced in the middle of the house. She instantly recognized it since she had spent her last Thanks Giving here. The bright halls of the Parker house were empty and Bonnie wondered if anyone was even here. Secretly she wanted to scream because she knew that her potion hadn't worked. Or maybe it had, maybe she wasn't going to see him tonight, only spent some time in his house.

It looked different from when she was last here. Of course, the lack of blood splattered across the walls made it look instantly more inviting but there was something else. There were pictures of the Parker kids up on the walls. None of them showed Kai, though.

Bonnie wandered around in search of anything to do when she realized there was a figure sitting in the backyard. It was a teenage boy, sitting in the swing. He was wearing a black suit. His head hung low as he was staring at the dirt on the ground.

Bonnie was trying her best to stay put and not get outside to talk to the boy, she knew was Kai. But curiosity won her over. There was something about being here that always dragged her to him. When Bonnie was standing in the doorway of the back door, she spotted another figure heading towards Kai with rage. It was Joshua Parker, also wearing a black suit. Bonnie had never seen him in person before. His voice had been enough for her the last time she had visited. Bonnie stayed where she was, still in hearing distance and observed what was happening.

"I told you to go inside.", Joshua said to his son. His voice already angry.

"No, you told me to stay here. You never specified were this 'here' was.", Kai spit back. That didn't seem to sit too well with his father because he reached out to grab his son's arm, forcing him to stand up from the swing.

"You know I am sick and tired of you acting out. If I tell you to go inside, you do so without back talk. I don't want you anywhere near the cemetery, so get your ass back inside before I make you."

Kai freed himself from the grip of his father's hand, not moving an inch. He was now better for Bonnie to see. He must be about 17 years old. He was tall, almost as tall as his father, but he had a slender form, not the Kai she remembered from the prison world or present day. But there was something familiar about him. His face was emotionless except for his eyes. He harbored hate in them and directed them to his father.

"You know, you can't make me stay here, after all she was my mother.", Kai said in a calm tone.

"Ha, like you cared about her. You are the reason she is dead, if you weren't such an abomination she would have never taken the trip to Virginia to find a cure for your abnormality. She would be here with us, taking care of your siblings. How does it feel knowing that you took their mother away from them?", Joshua yelled.

Kai was now visibly enraged. He was breathing heavily and was glaring at his father. Bonnie pressed one hand to her mouth because she feared she might scream. How can a father talk to his son like that?

Joshua stepped a little closer to Kai, talking to him once more. Bonnie had to concentrate to understand. "If I see your face at the funeral, I will make you regret it. Go. Inside. Now."

With that Joshua turned around and left Kai standing in the yard. Bonnie observed him. He was in one of those rage phases where he couldn't control himself. She had seen them before. As she decided to go over and talk to him, Kai turned around and headed to the direction of the woods. Bonnie feared what he was about to do and ran after him.

"Hey, hey Kai, wait. It's me, Bonnie.", Bonnie called to him as she was close enough. Kai didn't turn around, not acknowledging her presence. Maybe he couldn't hear her. Kai headed into a small shed, grabbing a hammer from the work bench in there and went straight past her towards the cars parking in front of the house. Now Bonnie knew what he was about to do.

"Kai, wait. Just think about it. Destroying you dad's car isn't going to make any of this better. On the contrary. He will only be pissed. Please, wait." Bonnie tried to convince him, but he still didn't react. She thought that maybe her potion had worked after all, making her invisible to her surroundings. She still kept trying to reach him.

"Kai please." She touched his arm in order to make him look at her and flinched as he turned around in one swift move looking directly at her.

"What do you want? You don't have the right to say anything. You don't _know _anything. You think you can show up here after years and try to be my guardian angel? Guess what, Bonster, I have grown up. Your little magic tricks and pretty little smiles can't make me feel better anymore. I am doing what I want to do, no matter who says anything against it.", Kai yelled at her. It was weird because it seemed like he was talking like he knew her, like she hadn't been there only two times. He sounded disappointed in her. What the hell was going on.

"Kai, I don't-", Bonnie started but she didn't know what she wanted to say. Kai huffed and shook his head.

"Yeah, right.", he said as if he had anticipated her speechlessness and turned around again. Bonnie didn't want him to leave in this state so she reached out to his shoulder and turned him around, but Kai was being his typical self and grabbed her hands, squeezing them tightly.

"Stop it, Bonnie. I won't let you interfere with this. I have every right to be mad right now. I had nothing to do with her death. It wasn't my fault. I didn't do anything to make her feel so disappointed in me. It was all her. I didn't tell her to go to that fucking shaman in Virginia. THAT WAS HER CHOICE." Kai seemed to be in some sort of daze as he was expressing his anger to Bonnie. He was so close to her and his grip was hurting her, but that was not the worst part. He seemed to have lost control over his syphoning ability and didn't even notice that he was currently draining Bonnie's magic.

"Kai! Kai, please. You're hurting me.", Bonnie let out in a gasp and as soon as the pain had come, it was over.

Kai had released her hands and was now looking at his own. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that.", he let out before he looked up at her with horror and regret in his eyes.

_But you did it anyways, _Bonnie thought for a second but when she saw his expression, she felt bad for thinking it. He was just a kid that apparently had just lost his mother. And his father was blaming him for her death. Bonnie started to understand what Kai had gone through in his youth.

Bonnie, against anything she had felt for this guy in the past, reached out her hand and touched his shoulder. Then she even went further and pulled him in for a hug. It was a weird hug because Kai let his arms hang by his sides. It seemed like the concept of hugging was completely new to him but after what felt like minutes, he finally wrapped his arms around Bonnie's small frame, burying his face in her hair.

He didn't cry, but he held her tight. Tighter than she would deem comfortable but who was she to deny this grieving kid the comfort that he didn't get anywhere else. Bonnie stroked his back reassuringly, awkwardly not feeling awkward at all. It was like this younger version of Kai was pushing all her buttons. It was like she didn't even see that it was him. All she saw was a broken kid, one that she wanted to take care of.

For what seemed like an eternity, Bonnie held him close. Then Kai started to untangle himself from her and stepped back a few steps, observing her. It almost felt a little uncomfortable the way he looked at her, like he knew her well.

"Where have you been?", Kai said after a while.

"Well, I would have to know what this is in order to give you an answer to your question."

"You weren't time traveling, that's for sure.", Kai said and turned a little, looking to the ground.

"I wasn't?", Bonnie asked. It seemed like he knew more about what was going on than her.

Kai gave her a look that said 'please, don't be ridiculous.'. "We've discussed this, Bonnie. There is no time travel, at least not in the obvious meaning of it."

"Right. So, what is this?", Bonnie tried to find out.

Kai shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I could never find anything on magical mind jumping in any of the grimoires of my father."

Bonnie had to fight back a laugh. _Magical mind jumping_. She tried to imagine the headline in her grams grimoire. "Maybe I am here to change the past.", Bonnie fooled around.

Kai rolled his eyes. "You can't change the past. At least not entirely. You can only change bits and pieces of the puzzle, but the outcome will always stay the same. In the end the event that you want to prevent is still going to occur only in a different way. It's like witch 101. Have you forgotten everything we talked about? I mean it's been a few years but-", Kai suddenly stopped talking looking at her with wide eyes. "You haven't had any of these conversations yet, did you?"

Bonnie smiled. "Guilty."

Kai seemed to be amused now. "Wow, how often have you traveled here before?"

"This is my third time.", Bonnie confessed and Kai laughed. "Why? How many times have you interacted with me?"

"I don't know, 20,30? I lost count."

Bonnie's eyes widened. No wonder he acts like he knows her, he does. She turned around and runs a hand through her hair. How is she supposed to live through 20 other nights like this?

"What the hell is this?", she said more to herself and that was why she was surprised when Kai answered her.

"Why don't you ask me?"

Bonnie turned around, frowning at his weird suggestion.

"I mean, the other me. Your me. There is a me in your time, right?"

Bonnie shivered as she heard him say 'your me' but she ignored the feeling. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why not? Maybe he knows what's going on."

"Doubtful.", Bonnie commented and saw the misunderstanding look on Kai's face. Bonnie barely understood what was happening, but she wouldn't dare tell Kai about it. If this was real, he already knew anyways.

Bonnie felt a tug in her gut and knew that she was waking up.

"You're leaving again?", Kai asked.

"How do you know?"

"You always do this, look up to the sky like someone is calling for you.", he explained.

There was nothing Bonnie could say to that, so she just smiled. "Take care, Kai."

"Don't be a stranger.", Kai tried to smile but failed. He was clearly still struggling with his feelings but there was nothing else Bonnie could do for the moment.

…..

Bonnie was freshly showered and dressed as the doorbell rang. She knew who it was and only rushed back upstairs to get her stuff. She felt bad enough for telling Kai where she lived there was no way she would let him inside.

The events of last night were still freshly caved into her mind and she feared the next night. She wished she could just have a calm night for once but at this point she didn't even believe it herself.

When Bonnie stepped out of the house, there was no Kai to be seen. She looked around and then jumped as she heard the hump of a car down the road. Kai was waving at her and Bonnie rolled her eyes. She got over to the car and placed herself at the passenger seat, dropping her bag at the back seat. They drove in complete silence, the only sound from within the car was Kai's grunge playlist. Bonnie didn't like to admit it but she kind of liked it.

At the airport Kai excused himself to get some coffee before they would check in. Bonnie waited for him, using the time of his absence to fill Caroline in about her state. Kai returned with two cups of coffee, offering one to Bonnie. Bonnie hesitated for a second, not because she thought he might have poisoned it, even if he wanted her dead he would never let poison do the job for him. No, she was just taken aback by his courtesy. She reached for the cup and thanked him.

Then everything went fast. They sent of their luggage, having only a few problems explaining to the security staff what some of the things were for that they had packed and went straight to boarding.

Kai had booked Business class and Bonnie enjoyed the comfortable space she had earned from that. She nearly forgot that Kai was sitting right next to her. They stayed quiet for some while. Then Bonnie accidentally watched him looking out the airplane window and looking deep in thought.

Something came over Bonnie before she could control it and she just asked him what she needed to know. "Have you ever been to NOLA?"

Kai turned around to watch her, his expression baffled. "NOLA?"

"New Orleans.", Bonnie clarified.

Kai's face turned deadpan. "I know what NOLA means, Bon. Why do you ask?"

Bonnie was feeling a little uncomfortable, since she didn't want him to know the real reason she asked. She felt the heat in her cheeks and was happy that her skin color prevented from showing any signs of blush.

"Just curious, you know. I mean, Klaus Mikaelson resides there and he is one of our main focusses right now." Bonnie shrugged, not looking directly at him.

"Right.", Kai said and turned his face back to the window. "No, I don't think I have ever been to NOLA. Not in the real world at least."

Bonnie felt relieved for a second. If he had never been to New Orleans, that meant everything that happened in her dreams wasn't true. She was about to lay back in her seat when Kai turned back to her.

"Wait, that's not true. I think I've been to New Orleans before. My parents had this coven thing there and they dragged Jo and me along. I was like six. I don't know. I don't remember. "

Bonnie's heart started racing. No, this was just a coincidence. They weren't talking about the same thing. What he described, it was something else. Not the day she saw that lonely little boy run away from the kids that were taunting him. No, just no.

But to be completely sure, she needed to know something else and she felt like she had an opening for that.

"Your parents, huh? Your mom too?"

"Yup, both of them. The leading couple of a loving family.", Kai said sarcastically.

"You never talk about your mother." Bonnie turned to him completely and leaned into the seat. She knew that this was a delicate topic even for someone like Kai, so she tried to be as soft as possible.

"I never talk about any of my family.", Kai mentioned and there was a truth to that. As hard as it was for him to shut up, he mostly talked about trivia but never about important stuff, like his family, remaining and dead.

"Right, but you haven't even mentioned her before. I wasn't even sure you had a mom."

Kai frowned at Bonnie, as she giggled.

"Everyone has a mom Bonnie. Mine just never earned the title.", he said.

"Why not?"

Kai shrugged. "Because I am who I am. The black sheep of the family. Neither my mom nor my dad cared enough about me. When they found out about my siphoning ability everything went downhill. They isolated me. I couldn't even touch anyone. That screwed me up. Maybe- if they cared enough. Maybe I wouldn't have ended up being such a lunatic, right?"

Kai talked with such nonchalance that it almost scared Bonnie. The things he had just admitted to her were traumatic. It must have been like he said, they screwed him up. For the first time, Bonnie felt bad for what happened to Kai in the past.

"Is your mom around? Like, can you go make amends with her?", Bonnie wanted to know as she pulled her legs up onto the seat.

"No, my mother died a long time ago.", Kai said and turned his head to look straight ahead.

"I'm sorry.", Bonnie stated and Kai looked like he hadn't heard those words a lot. "Can I ask what happened?"

Kai's eyes drifted off into the distance like he was remembering something. When he spoke, his voice seemed far away. "Car accident." There was a heavy pause until he spoke again. "But it was my fault."

No! This couldn't be true.

"How was it your fault? Were you in the car with her?"

"No, I was the reason she got in that car. I syphoned Jo because she pissed me off and mom completely lost it. She called an old friend in Virginia and found this shaman that was supposed to have these stupid healing abilities. She got into the car the next second and was gone before dad was even home. She never made it back home." Kai shook his head, finally returning to the here and now. "Well, nice story, right?", he tried to lighten the mood.

Bonnie watched him from her curled-up position and realized that he genuinely believed what he had just said. "It wasn't your fault, you know.", Bonnie got out and Kai turned to look at her. For a moment neither of them said anything, they just stared at each other. Kai was the first one to break out of his trance.

"So, what about you? Any funny family feuds that are worth mentioning? Maybe a cousin that liked to pull your hair when you were little?", Kai joked.

_Or like an absentee father and a run-away mother that left me to live with the only real family I ever had, that ended up dead because of me?_, Bonnie thought but didn't say it. She didn't feel comfortable to talk about any of her family. It was too personal. She knew it was kind of unfair because she tricked him into opening up about his family and she wouldn't do the same.

"Nope, nothing to tell.", Bonnie said and readjusted her position. She was now sitting properly in her chair, not looking at her.

"Oh, come on. I don't believe you. There has to be something. The great Sheila Bennett had to have had some sort of secret. Come on, Bonster, spill. I told you about my family, now it's your turn."

Bonnie only shook her head.

"I'm your friend, remember?", Kai said and Bonnie turned her head to look at him. "Were just two friends sharing their traumatic family experiences, there's nothing wrong with that."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "We are not friends, Kai."

He chuckled. "Keep telling yourself that." He stretched in his seat and yawned. "Alright, Bon, I'll go to sleep now. Wake me when we're landing, okay?"

Bonnie wanted to retort something, but his eyes were already closed and he seemed to be at peace. She couldn't bring herself to destroy it. So, she settled into her own seat and tried to enjoy the silence.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Miss? Sir?"

Bonnie stirred, opening her eyes to look into the face of a young woman wearing the airline uniform. Bonnie's neck hurt from the position she was in.

"You need to fasten your seatbelts, we're about to land.", the young woman claimed and left. Bonnie yawned and closed her eyes again until her pillow moved and she realized what she was doing. Her head had been resting on Kai's shoulder and his head had been slightly resting on hers. This must be one hell of a picture. With less force than she had anticipated she removed her head from his shoulder and readjusted her posture. Something inside her told her not to look at Kai right now, because the position they had been in was way too intimate to be acknowledged by her.

But her curiosity was bigger and so she turned her head and looked at him. Kai was still crawled out on his seat, his long legs stretched and the rest of his body relaxed, looking like he was still asleep. His eyes were open though and they were fixed on her. Bonnie felt a pinch in her stomach and her blood reaching up to her cheeks by the way he looked at her. Everything in her told her to break eye contact but she didn't. If she looked away now, it would be equal to a confession. So, she held his gaze and forced herself not to look suspicious. Of what she wasn't quite sure, but she knew she didn't want him to find out.

They didn't say anything for the entire time, just looked at each other, before Kai finally straightened up and turned his head away. Bonnie let out an inaudible breath as she finally felt free again.

"We should get to the hotel first, dump our stuff and get to the archive right after.", Kai suggested while checking the time on his phone.

"Sounds about right.", Bonnie agreed and tried to look anywhere but at him.

It took them about an hour to get to the hotel and when they arrived Bonnie was nearly breaking down from what news the receptionist had in store for them.

"I am sorry, sir but something must have gone wrong and the computer has overbooked your room. I am very sorry for that.", the mid-thirty man told Kai as he waited to get checked into their two separate rooms.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?", Kai asked. He had reached the end of his rope, Bonnie could clearly see it. His arm was placed on the reception desk and he had lowered his head on them, speaking more to the ground than the poor man behind the desk. They had been waiting for half an hour for their rooms to get ready and now the man had told them that the rooms were overbooked.

"This means that I can not offer you the two rooms that you have ordered. We only have one room available. It a double room with a separate bathroom."

Bonnie reacted to this information. "Wait, double room? But there are two beds, right?"

"I am afraid not, ma'am.", the man told her and smiled apologetically. "We are very sorry for your inconvenience but due to the fair that takes place this week, the hotels are all overbooked. I know you are upset right now, but there is nothing else I can offer you." He held out his hand with a keycard in them. It was their decision now, if they would take the room or leave and search for another.

"As an apology for your inconvenience the hotel would like to offer you a bottle of our finest champagne." The man continued to persuade them.

Kai had kept quiet for the last few moments, knowing exactly well that Bonnie was the one that needed to make that decision. Just like it had been her decision to come along this trip in the first place. But spending time with Kai and sleeping next to Kai were two completely different things. But like the man said, they wouldn't have too many other choices. Bonnie sighed and took the keycard from the hand of the receptionist. "Make that two.", she demanded as she went into the direction the man had previously explained.

She felt that Kai was following suit but didn't wait up for him. She felt like she had adapted his level of rage from earlier and somehow knew that if she payed attention to him now, things would escalate. She knew this mess wasn't his fault, but she still didn't like any of it. She opened the room and stepped inside.

The room was bright but plain. There was a table at one side of the room, a closet at the other side next to the bathroom door and a queen-size bed. The windows were covered with white curtains that still let through enough light. Bonnie thought the room would do but then remembered that she needed to share it.

Right at that moment, Kai stepped into the room. He had been giving her space to calm down a bit and still didn't say anything when he arrived inside. Bonnie had already tossed her bag in one corner of the room. She needed a second to herself and so she stormed into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

She went over to the sink and placed her hands at the sides of it. Her breathing was still heavy and she splashed some water into her face to finally cool down a bit. After breathing in and out she felt like she could return to face Kai.

He was sitting at the table, some sort of map sprayed across him. Bonnie moved over to his side to see what he was looking at.

"Is this the location?", Bonnie asked while watching over Kai's shoulder.

"Yup, unless the archive grew legs and walked away in the last 18 years it should be exactly here.", Kai joked and didn't even realize it. Bonnie rolled her eyes. In another situation she might have not been so bothered by his comment but right now it felt like every bit of his personality was getting on her nerves, even though he didn't say much. Maybe that was the most annoying thing.

"Then let's not waist time.", Bonnie said and grabbed her stuff.

"Wait, Bonnie. You need to know something.", Kai said while packing up the map. "The archive is a magical place. The time inside the building is running differently than outside. We might spend only minutes in there, but it will turn out to be hours in the real world."

Bonnie frowned. "That makes zero sense. Why would you speed up the time inside the archive?"

"There are very rare books stored in the archive. Secrets over secrets that the Gemini Coven had harbored and protected for centuries. The speeding time was installed to prevent people from finding out about too many secrets at once. You wouldn't be able to read two books in a row without having lost about two decades of your time. So, we need to hurry."

Of course, there would be a catch to this entire thing. Bonnie only nodded to Kai and then turned back to the door, preparing for what was to come.

The archive was oddly close to their hotel. Kai must have made sure of that. It took them about a 15 minutes' walk to get to an industrial area. It was quite busy at this hour and Bonnie wondered how they were supposed to do magic while being watched.

Kai lead the way into a dark corner and stopped there. Bonnie raised an eyebrow, finding this location too cliché to be an underground witch center.

"Give me your hand.", Kai ordered and reached out his own.

"No?", Bonnie inquired, not willing to touch him. She crossed her arms before her chest and waited for an answer.

"God damn, Bennett.", Kai let out and grabbed her hand by force. Bonnie was struggling to free her hand and was able to do so within a matter of seconds. She rubbed it when he had let go of her. He hadn't hurt her, but he had invaded her personal space without permission. Her hand tingled where he had touched her and she didn't like the feeling of it.

Kai didn't wait for her to lash out to her and just moved past her back to the street. Bonnie was quick to follow.

"What the hell was that?", Bonnie yelled after him, but he seemed to ignore her. "Hello? Earth to psycho. Aren't you going to explain what you just did to me?"

With that he abruptly stopped and Bonnie bumped into his back. "Why, you didn't seem to be willing to listen to me a few seconds ago, why so interested now?"

Bonnie blinked as she noticed the hurt and anger in Kai's voice. "I- just tell me."

Kai sighed. "Ever thought that doing magic in plain daylight might be a little insecure?" Kai pointed to the people surrounding them, doing their business.

Bonnie looked around. Neither of the people on the streets seemed to notice them. They were standing in the middle of the sidewalk, but no one seemed to need to take a detour because they were blocking the way.

"You cloaked us!", she suspected and Kai nodded.

"Next time I ask you to do something, at least consider it before you run the other way.", Kai let out through his teeth. He seemed to be struggling with his anger and Bonnie understood him. She had done nothing but be an egoistic mean girl today. She complained about their housing situation, made him talk about hurtful events, refused to trust him, when nothing that had happened today had been his fault.

Bonnie considered why she had acted the way she did. Of course, she and Kai didn't get along and she hated him but there was something else. Something that she wasn't willing to admit to herself, not yet at least.

She fell back a little, still following him though. They walked for about five minutes longer until Kai finally stopped in front of a huge abandoned building. It seemed like there used to be some sort of industry operating within these walls. Bonnie wouldn't have guessed that this was the archive, but Kai pointed at it and looked at her expectantly.

With a sigh, Bonnie got out her knife and cut her hand. It was weird how she had stopped feeling the pain of the cut years ago. Taking two steps forward, Bonnie smeared her blood onto the heavy metal doors. She closed her eyes and felt her magic come to the surface. Kai hadn't known the exact spell her grams had used to seal this up because he had no idea, so Bonnie just tried one of the unsealing spells she knew. Even if grams did this out of a weird affection towards the Geminis, she would have never thought this was so important she had to use secret ingredients or something. And it seemed like Bonnie was right. The second spell she tried was the right one. Bonnie heard a clicking and saw that the door had been cracked open. Bonnie stepped back, since Kai had warned her not to try and get in until invited.

"All yours.", Bonnie said while waiting for him to open the doors.

Kai seemed to hesitate for a second. He watched the open door as if he couldn't believe it had been this easy.

"What're you waiting for?", Bonnie asked and Kai seemed to get out of his daze. Slowly he approached the door and pulled on it. It took some effort out of him, which only added to Bonnie's suspicion that no one had come here for a while.

With the doors now open Kai stepped through the threshold. Bonnie wasn't able to see anything inside the building but metal walls. And Kai. He was standing in the doorway, looking around the building. He was in awe as his eyes took in what Bonnie's were yet to experience. Getting impatient with Kai's observations, Bonnie called for him but he didn't react.

And then she saw his smile. It was a half-smile and his eyes were sparkling. It reminded her of the way he had looked in the prison world as he was forcing her to get him home. A shudder went down Bonnie's back and she felt like she had made a big mistake.

Adding to that feeling, Kai was disappearing out of her view. She tried to call for him again, but nothing happened. Did the bastard only use her to get what he wanted? Has there ever been a code or even a text about the cure? Bonnie was walking up and down in front of the opened place. She didn't know what to do. She felt like the most stupid being in the entire world. How could she even begin to think that Kai would do anything out of the goodness of his heart. She had experienced it first hand that he didn't have one. Crappy childhood or not, Bonnie could punch herself in the face for ever having sympathy for him.

After 5 minutes, there was still no sign of him. Bonnie didn't know if there was a back entrance of some sort through which he might have escaped. So, she did the only thing she could, she waited. At one point she would have to leave this place and return to Mystic Falls. She already imagined Elena's face when she told her that she should have never trusted Kai. And yet, she had gotten along with Kai so well the for a while that she foolishly had thought about believing him about having changed.

Bonnie sat down in front of the open door, trying to peek inside to find Kai but there was nothing to be seen. It had been 10 minutes since the warlock escaped into the building and Bonnie's hope about being wrong about him slipped with every second. But then her attention got peaked as she heard a rumbling by the door.

There was Kai talking to her, but there was no sound coming out of his mouth.

"I can't hear you.", she yelled but by the way Kai looked he didn't understand her either. Bonnie rolled her eyes when he gestured to her to come over. She got up from her place and went to the door, making sure not to get too close.

Kai had something in his hand and he reached out one arm, to show her what she was supposed to do. Bonnie didn't understand why he wouldn't just step outside and tell her what she was supposed to do, but unlike last time she did what he asked for.

Kai clipped something around her wrist and suddenly she felt different. She felt lighter but also every sound seemed to be silenced, all she could feel was… Kai's heartbeat?

"There you go.", Kai's voice finally reached her. "Come on in."

Kai stepped away so that Bonnie could easily slip inside. Her eyes widened from how much the old building had transformed. She was now standing in a bright room with shelves filled with books up until they reached the ceiling. There must have been 1000s of them in here.

"Welcome to the archive, Miss Bennett.", Kai said behind her and she turned around.

"You know, for a second I thought you tricked me.", Bonnie admitted and Kai looked confused.

"You were gone for over 15 minutes, what the hell have you done?", Bonnie asked.

"What? I was gone for like a minute. I just got the shackle- Oh, right. Time reversal and all. For you it was 15 minutes but for me-"

"Just this one.", Bonnie finished for him, now remembering about the time thing Kai told her about earlier.

"Right, we should hurry.", Kai said and handed her a paper. It was still weirdly silent in the building. Even though they were the only two people in the room, Bonnie thought she should be hearing something else but the constant humming of his heartbeat.

"What the hell is this?", Bonnie asked and held her shackled wrist in front of his eyes.

"You're RSVP so to speak. I had to be inside the building to invite you in. I used this band to do so. It is like a temporary link to the Gemini Coven, or better it's leader. You should feel a little different because the shackle is interfering with your senses, since you are not a born Gemini. But it is the only way non-Geminis can enter this place. So sorry for any inconvenience."

That was why she could feel his heartbeat, she was sort of linked to him right now. The realization should have made her feel uncomfortable but somehow the steady beating of his heart made her feel calm and safe.

"What am I supposed to do with this?", Bonnie kept asking and held up the piece of paper he had handed her.

"It's a description of the book we're searching for. The title, the looks. I only know the general location of it, so you need to help me find it."

Bonnie looked at the page in her hand. It was filled with a drawing of the cover of the book, which Bonnie assumed Kai had done. The drawing didn't even look too bad, but Bonnie wasn't too surprised. The ability to draw was a common gift amongst witches. They needed to be able to draw otherwise they couldn't document their work properly, at least in the earlier times of witchcraft. Nowadays, it wasn't as important to be able to draw if you could just print it out, but the ability had stayed in their DNA nonetheless.

The cover of the book seemed to be a light brown, probably leather bound and the title was engraved in a darker brown color. It read "Macurium" and Bonnie had no idea what that was supposed to mean. But since there were runes engraved all over the cover, Bonnie figured that this must mean something like 'decoding'.

Still in total awe at how big this place was, Bonnie blindly followed Kai. He led her into an isle a little bit further into the building. The shelves there were equally high but seemed to bear a few of the oldest books the archive had stored. Bonnie looked at the shelve and sighed.

"This is going to take some time, right?", Bonnie asked Kai.

"It better doesn't. Remember that our lives outside aren't waiting for us." Kai said. "I'll start up left, you down right?"

Bonnie nodded and knelt to look through the titles of the books while Kai searched for a stool to reach the upper rows. The books seemed to all be decoding books, but the first row didn't seem to have what they were searching for. Kai didn't seem to have any luck either and when they have been at it for like half an hour, Bonnie felt like this might take them too much time.

"Kai, isn't there an easier way to finding this book? We're going to take hours with the way we're doing it now. I mean, we're witches and this is a magical book. Isn't there something we could do to speed this up?"

He jumped down the stool and seemed to be thinking of something. "Hm, there might be something we could try but it inquires for you to give me that drawing, your knife and your hand."

He described it to her as if she were a kid, but Bonnie got it. She had refused to give him anything he needed before, he was just making sure she knew what was required of her. Bonnie fumbled with her bag and got out the knife she used earlier to cut her hand. Together with the drawing she handed both to Kai before she reached out her hand.

Kai watched the hand before he looked up at her. "I'll need the other one.", he claimed and Bonnie wasn't too surprised. She reached out her other hand and undid the makeshift bandage she had put around the cut earlier. The blood had stopped dripping, but the wound was pretty much open. Bonnie watched Kai slice his own hand and entwining his fingers with hers. He squeezed tightly, and Bonnie felt her wound reopening. She had to hiss a little as it happened.

"Sorry, I should have warned you.", Kai said as he kept squeezing and placed the drawing of the book cover underneath their entwined hands. Their combined blood dripped on it and painted the paper red.

"I figured you weren't going to read my hand when you asked me for my hurt one.", Bonnie said matter-of-factly. "What is this supposed to do anyways? Why are we doing this?"

"Well, we're searching for a book that was written by my ancestor about your ancestor. If we can focus enough, we might be able to tap into the mystic energy of the book.", Kai said and closed his eyes to concentrate. Bonnie did the same, trying to find an essence that was calling to their casting.

Suddenly the page in Kai's hand lifted and was blown to a pile of books stored in the middle of the shelve. Bonnie and Kai opened their eyes and looked after the blood page. They let go of each other and went over to where the page was hovering. Kai removed it and instantly found the code.

"Ha, gotcha."

"This is it?", Bonnie asked as she observed the old piece.

"Should be it.", Kai said while flashing through the pages. "Alright, let's get out of here."

"Already? I thought we could explore a little more.", Bonnie confessed.

"Bon, we've been in here for what? An hour maybe? We have already lost half a day. Do you really want to spend more time in here?"

She got what he was saying but she still felt like she needed more time in here. There were centuries of knowledge stored in these walls and she was eager to get her hands on it. She must have looked disappointed because Kai sighed.

"Tell you what. When we have dealt with the Elena drama, I will find a way to get around this time speeding thing and we'll come back so you can explore the place, okay?", he suggested.

Bonnie nodded, feeling like this might be the best option. She hadn't even realized that she had agreed to come back WITH Kai.

Bonnie wanted to leave but Kai held her back with a light touch on her shoulder. "Wait.", he said and reached for her hand. He softly took it into his own and traced his thumb over the cut that had been reopened by him. Bonnie felt a tickling sensation as she watched the cut disappear until her skin was completely healed again. Kai's hand remained underneath Bonnie's as she looked up into his eyes.

"Thank you.", Bonnie said with a mixture of surprise and honest gratefulness.

Kai smiled a sweet smile that made Bonnie's heart do a funny thing. "You're welcome." Kai looked at her for a second longer than dropped his hand and added. "Let's go."

…..

When they got outside it was already dark. They had lost about 6 hours in there, something that Bonnie found hard to wrap her mind around. She didn't feel tired at all, even though the time suggested she should.

The two witches headed back to the hotel where Bonnie ordered food for the both of them and Kai started decoding the text in the grimoire. Kai was so focused that he didn't even want to eat anything. Bonnie retraced to the bed and turned on the TV. Kai didn't seem to be bothered by the sounds of the TV as Bonnie was zapping through it. It was about two hours later that Kai had finished decoding the text.

Bonnie got up from the bed and went over to the desk where Kai was sitting. She looked at the paper that Kai had translated the text on but couldn't read anything. She was confused, didn't he just translate it?

"It's Greek. The Gemini Coven is paranoid as hell, so they would try to code it twice. Lucky for you, Greek is like every Gemini's second language.", Kai explained as he saw her face.

"So, what does it say?"

"It's a recipe. For making a cure for vampirism. It's Qetiyah's very own recipe."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "You mean, we have the means to make the cure? Like more than one dose?"

"In theory, yes. But most of the things on this list are so ancient that I either don't know what it is, or that it is already extinct."

Bonnie sighed. The excitement that she had felt earlier was completely blown away. "So, then this was all for nothing." She went back to the bed to sit on its edge.

"I wouldn't say that. We might not be able to produce more doses of the cure, but we will be able to extract it from Elena's body and conserve it, without her suffering from any side effects."

Bonnie looked up at him, her hope newly restored. "You mean she won't age?"

Kai nodded.

"How many times do you think we can do that?", Bonnie wondered.

"As often as we like. Why, do you want to go around curing your besties before you get rid of the cure for good?"

That was exactly what she had in mind. She would offer the cure to anyone who would want it and then she would hide it somewhere and let the nature do the rest. Bonnie didn't have to give Kai an answer for him to know that he was right. He didn't seem to have anything to object or if he did, he kept it to himself and Bonnie was grateful for that.

"But that only fixes half the problem.", Bonnie whispered.

"You're talking about Klaus Mikaelson?"

Bonnie nodded. "Caroline seems to think that he is the least of the two problems, because according to her he had grown a conscious since he had his daughter."

Kai looked at her like she was talking crazy. A vampire and a daughter? "Yeah, it's a long story. Anyways, I am not as optimistic as Caroline because it is still Klaus Mikaelson we're talking about. Caroline thinks we should talk to him, reason with him."

"But you don't?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I trust Caroline. It's just- I fear Klaus. He nearly killed me one day and he is by far the most vicious creature we ever faced. Maybe he has changed but it doesn't say that he still doesn't want the same things as back in the day. We could get Elena into more trouble if we spill the beans about her restored humanity."

"Then we turn her blood into acid.", Kai said nonchalantly.

"What? That will kill her."

"Not if you do it right. Maybe her immune system will be a bit worse but that is all. We're only turning her blood into a toxic fluid for vampires and thus Klaus can't use her blood to create his weirdo hybrids."

Bonnie considered his words. It sounded like a plan but if she could reduce the risk on Elena's health she would do it. "No, I think we should talk to Klaus first. Find out if he's changed and try to reason with him."

"We?", Kai asked and pointed between the two of them. His eyebrows were raised as he didn't seem to think that was what she had meant.

"Well, Klaus is in New Orleans and that is by far the most dangerous city- supernaturally speaking. I could use a second set of magical hands if I want to get back in one piece. So yeah, we." Bonnie watched the expression on Kai's face changed from disbelieve to something like triumph. "I mean, if you're up for the task.", Bonnie quickly added.

"Sure I am. When are we leaving?" Kai was quick to answer.

Bonnie got out her phone and booked two flights from Seattle to New Orleans. "Tomorrow at 5 p.m. We'll arrive in the middle of the night."

"Sounds good to me." Kai yawned heavily. Bonnie only now realized how smashed the warlock looked.

"I think I'll crash for a while. Do you mind?", Kai asked and pointed at the spot next to her.

"Help yourself." Bonnie gave her permission, not even as spooked about him sleeping next to her as she was earlier.

Kai disappeared into the bathroom before he came back out, now wearing black sweatpants and a grey t-shirt. He threw back the covers and climbed into bed. Bonnie was still sitting up in the bed, fumbling around with her phone as Kai settled in next to her. He was lying on his side, facing her but his eyes were already closed.

Bonnie watched him and wondered how a face so innocent could have made her feel so terrified at one point. And then she wondered when her opinion about him had changed because she didn't feel terrified of him at all anymore. On the contrary, she felt grateful for his help and she felt oddly safe. When she had taken off the shackle as they had exited the archive, Bonnie had felt weird for a moment because all the noise had come crashing back in but mostly, she had missed the sound of his heartbeat in her ear. It had been so calming that she wished she could hear it again before falling asleep.

"Kai?", Bonnie whispered after a while but didn't expect him to still be awake.

"Hmmm." Was Kai's raspy answer.

Bonnie kept quiet for a second, not really knowing what she was going to say. "Thank you for your help."

Kai lifted his head and opened his eyes to look directly into Bonnie's green ones. He smiled shyly and Bonnie felt her heart jump once again. "You're welcome.", Kai mumbled before he closed his eyes again and fell asleep.

It took Bonnie much longer to finally find her tiredness. She was too pumped up with adrenaline to be able to fall asleep. She had turned off all the lights when Kai had fallen asleep, but she had stayed on her phone for a while longer. When there was nothing else to do on it, she put it away and tried to sleep. Though sleep didn't want to come.

She lay awake for hours with nothing to do but to watch a sleeping Kai. After a while, Bonnie stooped closer to Kai, intent on not touching him but close enough to feel is body heat. The closeness finally made her sleepy and she drifted off.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The sounds of plates crashing to the ground startled Bonnie when she opened her eyes again. She was back in the Parker home in Portland, ca. 1986 from the looks of it. Bonnie followed the sound to the kitchen to find a teenage Kai sitting on the ground next to a handful of white shards that were splintered with red color. Next to them, Kai was holding his wrist.

Bonnie's eyes widened as she saw all the blood oozing out of Kai's arm. She rushed over to him, grabbing a kitchen towel on her way. "What are you doing?", she yelled in concern.

Kai didn't seem to be bothered by her wrapping the towel around his wrist, trying to stop the blood flow. She made him get up and went over to the kitchen table. She placed him in one of the chairs and took his other hand to hold the towel in place while she went looking for some bandages. "Keep pressure on it.", she demanded of him and then went looking around the kitchen.

Kai only stared into the far and followed her instruction. Bonnie didn't know what made her more nervous, the fact that he was losing a lot of blood or the fact that he didn't seem to be bothered by it.

Bonnie wasn't able to find any kind of bandages and Kai wouldn't answer her. She nearly freaked out, seeing how he got paler and paler by the minute. Then she remembered what the real Kai had done for her in the archive. Bonnie rushed over to Kai, removed the bloody towel and tried to remember the spell Kai had used. It took her two tries until she saw the deep cut on his wrist close. Bonnie sighed in relieve.

"Why the hell would you do something like this?", she looked into the eyes of the fourteen-year-old boy and there was nothing in them.

"I just wanted to see if I could feel something.", Kai replied and Bonnie shivered from the emotionlessness in his voice.

"What do you mean by that?"

Kai looked her straight in the eyes as if he was debating on letting her in on his little secret. "Nothing.", he then said. There was an uncomfortable silence spreading between them as Kai stared her down without any hint of emotion. Bonnie wondered what had happened to him since the last time she saw him. He wasn't a kid anymore but this version of him was plain scary. "What's going on with you?", she asked.

"You know you weren't supposed to touch me earlier, right?", Kai randomly pointed out.

Bonnie frowned. "What?"

"No one else would have. They are too afraid to get syphoned. I could have syphoned you too, you know, accidentally kill you. Would be such a shame if you came all the way from the future only to die."

Bonnie couldn't believe what he was telling her. "You're not syphoning everything you touch and you don't kill anyone with it either. That's bullshit."

"Not according to my father."

"If it was your father that said it, it's even more bullshit." Bonnie got angry at the thought of the Parker patriarch and his way of educating his children.

"Ha.", Kai got out. "I like you. You're different."

"Different how?"

"I don't know. You're honest. The first person to treat me as an equal and not an abomination."

Bonnie swallowed hard. There was this word again. She felt for what Kai had to go through but his apathy towards his fate was damning.

"Hey.", Bonnie reached out and touched the boy's hand. "What's going on with you?"

Kai slipped his hand out from under hers and just stared at the wall behind her. For the first time today she saw an emotion in his eyes, anger.

"Hey, talk to me. I'm your friend remember?", Bonnie felt a shudder go down her spine when she realized that she was recycling the words that Kai had said to her on the plane.

Kai huffed. "Yeah, right."

Bonnie was starting to get annoyed. "Okay, can you cut the crap? Stop acting all creepy."

"Acting creepy? You come into my house unannounced, force me to talk to you and then you tell me not to be creepy?", Kai yelled. "I'm sorry _BonBon _but I don't know how you would act if your life was a living hell. If everyone in your life avoided you, yelled at you or hurt you. They make me feel like I am not worth anything, so tell me, why the hell should I ever think any differently than them?"

That was it, this may be his breaking point. The point when he decided trying his best was never going to be enough for his family. The point where he decided it would be easier to not feel anything instead of feeling the pain of rejection every day. Bonnie was aware that whatever she might say next, could seal his fate. But on the other hand, maybe she had found the right words, because the 18-year-old version of Kai had been way calmer.

Bonnie leaned forward and looked Kai directly in the eyes. "Listen to me, I know it's hard. But I need you to know, it'll all get better one day. In the future, my future, you're going to be able to fight this off. I just need you to hold on. I know your father is a dick and that what he is doing to you is wrong. And I think a lot of people know that too, but they are too afraid to do something because he is this all-powerful coven leader. But Kai, I need you to fight. I need you to stand strong against him. He won't be able to hurt you forever. One day, you'll leave and he won't be able to reach you anymore."

Kai watched her with sadness in his eyes. He averted her gaze and looked down on his hands. "How much longer?"

Bonnie sighed. "Just a few more years. It'll be better, I promise."

"Will you be there?", Kai looked back into her eyes. His were full of hope and – was it affection?

Bonnie swallowed once before she answered. "Yes."

"Promise?"

Once again Bonnie swallowed. "Promise. And don't ever do such a stupid thing ever again."

"It wasn't on purpose.", he lied and smiled sadly and then his gaze went to the mess he had left behind on the kitchen floor. "Dad's going to kill me if he sees this." He was about to get up and start cleaning up, but Bonnie held him back.

"If he sees this.", she stated and with one move of her hand the shards magically cleaned and put themselves back together until they landed on the kitchen counter.

"Wow, such a handy little thing this magic.", Kai stated.

Bonnie chuckled and saw the first honest smile on Kai's face that day.

"How much time do you have left?", Kai asked her.

Bonnie looked onto the ceiling, feeling the beginnings of her pull back. "Not much."

"Shame.", Kai said sadly.

Bonnie reached out to his hand once more. "Hey, don't give up. You're a strong person."

"How do you know? You barely even know me."

"But I know future you. And I see a lot of him in you." Oddly enough, it wasn't even a lie. The new Kai seemed to be a lot more like his younger version.

The ringing in Bonnie's ear picked up and she knew she was going to wake up soon. "Remember what I said. You're getting through this.", Bonnie quickly added until she opened her eyes in the early morning hours in her bed in Seattle.

…..

The first thing she noticed was the warmth, the second were the birds outside singing their morning songs. At last, she noticed the heavy arm that was draped across her sleeping form. She was lying on her side and Kai's arm was lying loosely over her form. She could feel his body behind her, the way he was basically spooning her.

Bonnie wasn't sure what to do. If she removed his arm he would certainly wake up. But she couldn't stay like this now that she was awake. Bonnie decided to turn in Kai's hold until she could see his face. He looked so much like the boy she had just left behind in her dreams that she felt drawn to him. She turned around so that she was facing him and scooped closer.

All of a sudden, Bonnie felt all the loneliness she had felt in the last month come crashing down on her. His arms wrapped around her body made her aware of how deprived she had been from human touch and closeness. In the heat of the moment, Bonnie duck her head a little and snuggled her nose into his chest. Very carefully of course, so that he wouldn't wake up. She inhaled his scent. She had to give him that, he really smelled nice. Bonnie decided to stay in this position a while longer, because she hadn't felt this safe in a long time. The odd thing was, she mostly hadn't felt this safe because of the man that was now making her feel comfortable with his arm protectively wrapped around her.

"If you wanted to snuggle, all you had to do was ask.", Kai's raspy voice sounded in Bonnie's ears and she quickly shied away from Kai, freeing herself from his hold. How long had the bastard been awake?

"I wasn't snuggling. And to be fair, your arm was wrapped around my body first.", Bonnie said defensively and she heard Kai's deep chuckle. He was clearly just waking up.

"Oh Bonster, I only did that because you were tossing and turning in your sleep. Seemed like you didn't like what you were dreaming. I decided to pull you closer and you calmed down. I must have fallen asleep like this." Kai yawned. "I am sorry for invading your personal space. It was just to make you feel better."

He was closing his eyes one more time, leaving Bonnie with a chance to blush. He had probably seen her sleep reaction to Kai nearly bleeding out on her. It was kind of embarrassing that he had witnessed this but also kind of sweet how he tried to help her. Bonnie shook her head. No, she wasn't going there.

"We should get ready.", Bonnie simply said and got out of bed.

Kai groaned. "No, too early."

"Right, not a morning person.", Bonnie said more to herself then him.

"Five more minutes.", Kai mumbled while turning on his other side.

"Yeah, take your time.", Bonnie declared and grabbed her stuff. She needed a shower to wash of all these confusing things running through her head and more importantly her heart.

….

Safe to say that the flight to New Orleans was pretty much the same as the one to Seattle. Bonnie and Kai first ate whatever it was the crew was serving, then they bickered and then they fell asleep. This time Bonnie made very sure not to rest her head on Kai's shoulder or to be anywhere near Kai at any time, which was hard since they were stuffed into a tiny space. But when Bonnie awoke, she was glad to see that Kai was already awake. Good, so she didn't have to wake him up.

After they left the airport they checked into a hotel. Just to be safe, because they didn't know when they would be able to find Klaus Mikaelson. This time they used fake names though. The names Bennett and Parker were way too obvious in witch territory. To Bonnie's relief she was able to get two single rooms, so suggested to him to freshen up and then hit the city.

Kai wondered if it was smart strolling around in the middle of the night, but Bonnie smashed his objection. Even if they didn't find anything, Bonnie wouldn't miss out on the opportunity of seeing The French Quarter at night. But of course, she wouldn't admit that to Kai because he would only turn this into something it's not.

After half an hour they met up in the lobby of the hotel. Bonnie and Kai let the receptionist tell them where the best tourist points in the French Quarter were and then headed that way. They had no idea where to start searching but getting a look at the city was a start. For tourists this town seemed like one big show, but to real supernatural beings it was easier to tell the difference. They would just follow their natural instincts and ask around, if they were lucky Klaus would show his face sooner rather than later. A witch asking around for the big bad hybrid would surely raise his attention. Though, Bonnie would like to be the initiator of their meeting she couldn't be sure of it.

Once they arrived at the French Quarter Bonnie and Kai both seemed to have forgotten why they came here. Magic was potently filling the air and every second store seemed to be the real deal, at least if you knew the right things to say. Bonnie was getting high on the feeling of magic flowing around and she didn't even want to imagine how Kai must be feeling since he was way more sensitive to magic due to his syphoning ability.

They explored the place for a while before Kai started to get on Bonnie's nerves about complaining to be hungry. Bonnie then agreed to grab something to eat and they settled in some tavern named 'Rousseau's" that advertised to have the best gumbo in town (not like any other establishment didn't claim that title for themselves as well).

They seated themselves at a small table and were served by a tall blond lady who's name tag read 'Cami' and quickly ordered their food. Bonnie went with a simple steak and Kai actually chose the gumbo. Talking while waiting for their food to arrive, Bonnie started to feel more at ease. She also started to feel a little sleepy, even though she had slept on the plane. After they ate, she would suggest to head back to the hotel and take a nap before resuming their search the next day.

The steak she ordered was good, but the gumbo was fantastic. She had asked Kai if she could get a taste and he had looked at her as if she asked him to bite his ear off. Kai had a very peculiar relationship to his food, but he had finally caved and offered her a spoonful. The taste buds in her mouth were exploding form the extraordinary taste. She wanted to talk him into switching meals, but he refused and fought off her attempts of stealing from his food.

"Will you stop eating my food, please?", Kai said after her fifth attempt and slapped her hand away from his plate.

"I can't help it. It's sooo good. I need to get the recipe, but I bet it's a secret."

"It is in fact a secret, but I know the cook and maybe I can get an arrangement out of her.", a voice with a heavy british accent appeared from behind them. Bonnie and Kai turned to the source, but Bonnie already knew who it was. She would never forget his voice.

When she turned her eyes met with the blue-green eyes of Klaus Mikaelson.

"Hello Bonnie, love. What a nice surprise to see you here." Klaus smiled a wicked smile.

"This is him?", Kai asked through his teeth, in order to not be obvious. Of course, his childish behavior had the exact opposite effect as Klaus now eyed him intensely.

"Yes.", Bonnie mumbled and half turned in discomfort. "Play nice."

"I am playing nice.", Kai said in her direction but then turned back around to his gumbo.

"Are you not impressed, young man?", Klaus asked and took a few steps towards them.

"No, ish not wat.", Kai said with a full mouth and Bonnie wrinkled her nose in disgust. Kai swallowed before he continued to talk. "I was just expecting a beast. You know, like beauty and the beast? With all those talks about the big-bad hybrid Klaus Mikaelson, I kind of expected someone- hairier."

Bonnie wanted to punch Kai in the face. What was he doing, talking like that to Klaus?

"Oh, I can show you the beast if that is what you want.", Klaus teased with seriousness in his tone.

Kai stopped eating and seemed to consider his words. Then he turned back around to face Klaus. "I must admit, I am intrigued.", he confessed genuinely.

Bonnie's eyes widened as she saw Klaus move around their table and watch Kai. Then the original hybrid started laughing. Kai was smiling himself.

"Who is your odd friend here, Miss Bennett?", Klaus asked as he sat down opposite her.

"More like an acquaintance.", Bonnie let slip and she didn't miss how Kai fake-pouted at her comment. "Klaus, this is Malachai Parker, the newest and probably craziest leader of the Gemini Coven. Kai, this is Klaus Mikaelson."

The two males shook hands like the civil men they both weren't and something about it didn't sit well with Bonnie. Was it possible that the two would get _along_?

"Gemini Coven, huh? Used to do some business with them back in the day.", Klaus stated.

"Really? Can't imagine that it was pleasant. Gemini's are known to be a pain in the ass.", Kai replied and put another spoonful of gumbo in his mouth.

Klaus laughed once more. "No, it really wasn't. I like your friend, Bonnie."

"Acquaintance.", Bonnie mumbled for the second time today but Klaus ignored her.

"So, what brings the two of you to my town?"

Bonnie turned her gaze over to meet Kai's. He was still eating his gumbo but shrugged, indicating that it was her turn to talk.

"We're actually here for you.", Bonnie got out in what she wished would have been a steadier voice.

"We'll lucky you. Here I am." Klaus leaned over to Bonnie, trying to intimidate her for sure. Next to her, Bonnie felt Kai sit up right, his attention now focused on the deadly hybrid being too close to Bonnie. "So, what can I help you with?", Klaus breathed.

Bonnie swallowed. The intimidation technique was working. There was a lump forming in her throat, but she wouldn't let it show. "We're here on behalf of Elena."

"Elena Gilbert? What does she need that she has to send two witches to get it from me? She's a vampire now, she doesn't have to fear anything from me."

Bonnie wanted to say something, but the words got stuck in her mouth. She was struggling to do anything, only feeling her loud heartbeat. It felt like she was close to a panic attack and she wanted to get up and run away but then she felt Kai's hand being placed over her clenched ones under the table. It was impossible for Klaus to see the motion but oddly enough it calmed Bonnie down.

"And if she weren't?", Kai stepped in as he saw how much Bonnie was struggling.

Klaus' face turned serious. He turned his head in Kai's direction.

"What are you trying to say?", he hissed. All of this was too much for Bonnie. She hadn't thought that seeing the Original would have such an effect on her. All of a sudden, she was glad for taking Kai along. He was doing a great job at negotiating so far. Kai started moving his thumb over the back of Bonnie's hand and she wasn't sure if he was even aware of this. Bonnie let him do it, the soothing effect his hand had on her was what she needed right now.

"I am saying that, hypothetically, we might be able to return Elena Gilbert back into her innocent human form. Of course, we are not dumb enough to do so, if it means getting her into much more trouble that she already is in. You understand, right? So, what is the first danger Elena Gilbert has to face if she becomes human again?" Kai twisted the story in a way that gave them advantage. He really had a way with words, Bonnie had to admit.

Klaus seemed to like the thought of them making him the number one threat on Elena's life. "You are smart people, but maybe not smart enough. Why would you come to me with this information? I can just go and grab her and there would be nothing you could do."

"Nah-ah, not so fast. I said we _might_ have a way. Not that it's certainly going to work. It's an ancient spell. So much could go wrong. Plus, we're not turning her back into your personal blood bag."

"How do you have a way to cure vampirism. The only dose of it was used on Katarina and as far as I know she is very dead." Klaus looked to Bonnie now for confirmation.

"Don't know that Katarina-chick, but all you need to know about the spell is that it's only useful on doppelgängers, so no need to be worried about it coming back to bite you in the ass.", Kai redirected Klaus' attention to himself.

Klaus watched him with narrow eyes. He was silent for a long time, considering the news. Then he spoke again. "What are you offering, for me to stay out of all this?"

"A regular blood sample for your little hybrid crew. Not much, just a vial. Enough for one dose. And only until the point in Elena's life where it won't affect her health, of course. All you have to do is to stay out of our hair and we'll be done here."

"Of course.", Klaus agreed as if that fact was apparent. Kai and Klaus looked at each other, neither of them backing down from their staring contest. In the end Klaus' face lit up. "You got yourself a deal."

Kai smiled triumphantly. Bonnie couldn't believe that it had been this easy to persuade Klaus. Maybe Caroline had been right and the Original had turned soft. Bonnie wasn't even sure if he wanted to use Elena's blood for anything or if he only agreed to this deal to still seem like he was the monster he once was.

"There is one more thing.", Bonnie finally returned to the conversation, freeing her hands from Kai's reassuring grasp. His hand fell to her thigh now and it remained there even after Bonnie retraced her hands. Both men turned to look at her with interest. "No matter if or when Elena ever decides to have children and continue the Petrova line, you leave them along. Every last one of her decedents."

Klaus sniffed. "Don't you think that is a little bit much to ask, little witch?"

"Agree to it or you'll never create another one of you beloved hybrids ever again."

Klaus sighed. "Fine, you have my word."

Bonnie nodded and felt a heavy burden falling off her shoulders.

Kai clapped his hands, now finally releasing Bonnie's thigh. The place where it had rested was starting to feel cold now. "Alright, now that the business part is over, who's up for some drinks?"

Kai got up from his seat and went over to the bar, ordering a drink for himself and Klaus. Bonnie had reclined politely.

Now that Kai had gone off, Bonnie felt a little uncomfortable sitting there with Klaus alone. She turned her head to search for him and see how long it would take for him to come back when Klaus addressed her.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, you know? I have nothing to gain from hurting you now, have I?"

Bonnie turned back to the hybrid and stared at him. "I guess not."

Klaus smiled. "You are a brave woman, Bonnie Bennett. Not that I didn't know that before. But coming here and revealing this information to me, it could have gone completely different."

"Well, I followed the advice of one Caroline Forbes and I have learned that she is right most of the times." By the mention of Caroline's name, Klaus' face turned a little paler. After all this time, he still had a thing for the blond vampire.

"How is she doing?", Klaus asked as he lowered his gaze.

Bonnie smiled softly at him. "You know it's tough. Her mom's sick and she is trying to find a way to deal with that. But it's Caroline. She'll get through it." She was surprised at her honest answer. "But if you want to see for yourself, I think Caroline wouldn't be mad about that."

The sparks that had flown between Klaus and Caroline had always been undeniable. Caroline had never been available though and maybe it was not the right time for Klaus to pop back into her life right now, but she could imagine him being a good influence on her when she was down.

"It's more complicated than that.", Klaus said.

"Uncomplicate it then. It's only complicated because you make it out to be." Bonnie didn't recognize herself anymore. Was she really giving Klaus relationship advise? For Caroline? What had become of her? She had spent too much time around Kai recently. She started to lose her sense of right and wrong.

"If you take your own advice, I might consider doing the same.", Klaus implied but Bonnie looked confused and didn't understand what he meant. Klaus looked over to the bar and when Bonnie followed his gaze and saw Kai laughing with the bartender her eyes widened.

"Oh no no no no no. Hell no. Kai and I- it's really not like that. Just no. We can barely stand each other."

A laugh escaped Klaus. "Keep telling yourself that, love."

Bonnie was spooked by what Klaus was implying. What had he seen between them that had made him come to this conclusion? How did the two appear to others?

"He's a good one, you know?" Klaus voice got Bonnie's head back in the situation.

"Who? Kai? You have no idea how wrong you are."

"I don't think I am. I can see that he cares about you. He can assess all your reactions and he is protective of you. Also, he has a sparking personality."

Bonnie had to laugh at the last comment. At least Klaus was right about that part. "I don't think you advocating for him is a comforting thing."

Klaus shrugged. "Maybe it's not. Doesn't mean that I am wrong."

Bonnie turned her head to Kai's direction and saw that he was heading their way.

"Think about my words, Miss Bennett.", Klaus added before Kai would reach up to them.

"Alright, who is ready to get drunk?", Kai cried out excitedly.

…

Bonnie was half dragging, half pushing Kai back to the hotel. She had problems walking straight herself, but Kai was such a wearing drunk that even in her own daze, she started to get annoyed.

Bonnie had been persuaded into having a beer with the two supernatural males. She ended up having 5 and countess shots that she had no idea who paid for. Now she was comfortably drunk and trying to get Kai not to stop in front of every window to peek inside.

"Hey look, this one has tarot cards.", Kai yelled in excitement. Bonnie had spotted a bunch of tarot cards in the shop windows since they started their little walk but apparently these were worth calling out for.

"Great, you can come back for them tomorrow." Bonnie said and pulled at Kai's arm to drag him away from the window. She was tired and really wanted to go to bed. "Come one Kai, I don't want to spend another hour out in the streets."

Kai wiggled his way out of her hold and ran to the nearest street lamp. "Why not, tonight is a beautiful night." He wrapped himself around the street lamp and let himself circle around it once until he dangled down from it.

Bonnie only rolled her eyes. He was such a kid. "You're drunk.", she stated and kept on walking. Kai caught up with her in seconds.

"Yes, I am. Buuuut so are you."

"I'm slightly buzzed that's all." Bonnie lied but Kai caught her.

"Come on, where is the Bonnie Bennett that was dancing on the top of the bar an hour ago. Get her back out, she was more fun."

Bonnie turned to him with wide eyes. He had seen that? Bonnie had assumed he had been in the men's room.

"You really think I hadn't seen that, Bonster?", Kai asked her and tipped the tip of her nose with his index finger.

"I wish you hadn't. Gosh, I'll have to find an oblivion spell in the morning. For me and you."

"Ha, don't worry. You have a fair chance that the alcohol will do that for you.", Kai said and jumped ahead of her. "But, it was worth it. It was really fun."

Bonnie smiled thinking back on the night she had just had. Drinking with a sociopath and an Orginial, something that she had never written down on her bucket list. "It was alright."

"Oh, always so modest.", Kai said while walking backwards.

Bonnie rolled her eyes once more and shoved him slightly. Kai chuckled from her cute attempt of making him tumble. Even in his drunken state it hadn't been enough.

They walked back to the hotel in silence, but Bonnie felt Kai's presence by her site with every step she took. It was annoying how much she wanted to reach out and feel his hand on hers again. Back in the pub, Kai's reassuring squeeze had felt too comfortable for Bonnie's liking and that was why she felt even more disturbed that her mind and body seemed to think that it would be nice to do it again.

They finally reached the hotel and Bonnie was busy getting Kai into the elevator and not show the receptionist a card trick he had learned in the bar. Weird enough that Kai had been interested in learning a card trick in the first place.

When they finally reached their floor, Bonnie dragged Kai to his room and opened it for him. She heaved him over to the bed and dropped him there. He had suddenly become very sleepy. Bonnie groaned as Kai tried to hold on to her, but she managed to get out of his grip.

"Alright Kai, I'll see you in the morning."

"Uhhm.", Kai mumbled, already drifting off to sleep. He then got up again to look at Bonnie once more. He tilted his head and seemed as sober as can be, for the break of a moment. He tilted his head and looked at her adoringly, like he wanted to take a mental picture of this moment. Then he smiled an adorable smile. "Good night, Bon."

Bonnie swallowed hard and snuck out of his room and entered her own. She got out of her clothes and only managed to pull a t-shirt over her head. She was too fucking tired and drunk to reach for her pajama pants, so she snuck underneath the covers and fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

It was a dreamless sleep for once. Maybe the alcohol in her body was too much to deal with so her magic couldn't focus on sending her mind to another place. It had been a rather unrelaxing sleep though and Bonnie half wished she had traveled in time again.

The sun was already high on the sky when Bonnie finally opened her eyes. She yawned and instantly felt a pinch in her head. Hangover, great. That was why she didn't drink anymore. She had a bad habit of having a mean hangover the next day. Bonnie pulled the covers of her blanket over her and tried to blend out the pain.

She heard the lock on her door being opened and quickly sad up in bed, ignoring the pain in her head. Her magic spiked to her fingertips as she waited for the intruder to show his face so she could smash him into the opposite wall. She was prepared, even though her magic had been a little retarded, she was sure she could have the upper hand.

She heard the footsteps of the intruder and a second later a dark-haired head peaked around the corner. Bonnie was about to fire a 'motus' through the air as she realized that it was Kai who was looking at her with a smile on his face. The smile fell though, when he saw Bonnie's outstretched hand.

"Wow, wow. It's me Bon, relax.", he warned her.

Bonnie breathed heavily, having been able to control herself just in time. "What the hell, Kai? Why are you sneaking into my room without warning? How do you even have the keys?"

Kai tried to look as innocent as possible. He raised one of his hands. "No keys needed if you're able to do magic instead."

Bonnie through a pillow at him, which he dodged. "Get out of my room, creep."

"Wait, wait. I come bearing gifts.", Kai said and held something up. It seemed to be a glass of some green liquid. It looked disgusting and Bonnie scrunched her nose.

"What the hell's that supposed to be?"

"Best hangover-cure the wizarding world has to offer?" Kai explained and carefully stepped closer.

Bonnie was suddenly intrigued which gave Kai even more bravery to step up to her bed and sit down on the edge of it. Now Bonnie was able to take a better look at the content of the glass. There were pieces of something flowing around the green viscous content. The smell that reached her nose now wasn't giving her any hopes that this drink would taste any good.

"Take it as a peace offering?", Kai asked and reached the glass over to Bonnie.

She was hesitant to take it though. First, because she really didn't want to drink it and second because she didn't want to give in to Kai so easily. But her head was pumping really hard and by the way Kai looked so chipper this morning she suspected it really worked. She doubted Kai was going to poison her, he had too many opportunities to kill her already, why do it now?

Bonnie took the glass from Kai's hands and sniffed it.

"Don't do that.", Kai warned her but it was too late. The distasteful smell of the drink had already filler her nostrils.

"Ew, what the hell is in there?", Bonnie asked, holding the glass as far away from her face as possible.

"Better you not know. I can't promise it'll taste good, but it'll help."

Bonnie looked at Kai once more and then in one swift move downed the entire glass. The drink tasted like shit. Bonnie had never tasted anything like it and was feeling like she needed to throw up but as soon as the nausea came, it was gone, along with her headache. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Kai for confirmation.

"Good, right?", Kai asked and Bonnie straightened up a bit.

"Amazing. You need to give me that recipe."

"Sure, I'll write it down for you.", Kai surprisingly agreed.

Bonnie smiled at him and he smiled right back.

"So, what are you doing here?", Bonnie asked.

"Oh, I was really just going to leave this on your nightstand. Didn't expect you to be up already.", he said.

"Well, you could have waited to give it to me until I was awake then.", Bonnie suggested provocatively.

"But where's the fun in that?" Kai smirked at her with mischief in his eyes and Bonnie had to fight a smile forming on her own lips. All of a sudden, she became aware that she wasn't wearing any pants and pulled her blanket a little higher so Kai wouldn't notice. His gaze felt like he could look right through the textile though and Bonnie started to shift uncomfortably underneath her blanket.

"You know, I thought that before we leave, we could go back to the French Quarter and buy some supplies that are hard to get back in Virginia. If you're up to it, we could leave right away and grab some breakfast on our way." Kai leaned back on the bed and rested his weight on his elbows, he turned his head to see her reaction to his suggestion.

"I'd rather go take a shower first.", Bonnie said, lowering her gaze to her blanket and hoping that she would get him out of her room that way.

"Yeah, sure do that first.", Kai agreed but didn't move an inch.

Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "Would you mind?" She gestured towards her door.

Kai tilted his head and looked at her inquiringly. Bonnie felt his gaze burn on her skin and once again was happy that he couldn't see the heat forming on her skin.

"Wanna get rid of me? Are you hiding something from me, Bonster?"

Bonnie laughed. "Right, like I can hide anything from you.", she said a little nervous.

"No, you can't. I just know you too well.", Kai claimed and Bonnie had to laugh again.

"Right. Because we are such good friends."

"Are we not?", Kai asked innocently.

"No!" was Bonnie's instant answer and to her surprise Kai didn't seem to look too offended or hurt.

"But you have to admit, we have been getting along better these past few days.", Kai tried to reason with her.

"Because we had the same goal. It would have only backfired if we had been fighting all the time. Besides, just because we get along doesn't mean that I trust you. And trust is the basis for every friendship."

Kai remained silent for a moment, seemingly thinking about what Bonnie said. "Alright, then I'll prove to you that you can trust me.", he said it like he meant it.

"We'll see about that.", Bonnie said.

"What's there to lose for you? I mean, you already don't trust me. If you're right, then you'll just have a clarification and if not, well you may have gained a friend. Isn't it worth a shot?" Kai dared her to answer. He was right, but Bonnie didn't want to let him know she already started thinking differently about him a while ago.

"Remains to be seen."

Kai smiled triumphantly at her. "That's not a no."

Bonnie rolled her eyes at his persistency. "No, it's not."

Kai's smile grew even wider as he more or less heard Bonnie admit that she was willing to give him a second chance. What a huge step. Bonnie tried to tame her smile, but she couldn't help but let it show.

Kai reacted to her smile by turning his grin into a genuine happy smile. His eyes were dancing with excitement and for the first time since she first saw Kai, she thought he was attractive. The realization hit her with a force that she didn't see coming. Her smile dropped and her gaze turned more intense. In responds to her reaction Kai's expression turned serious as well. His eyes drifted to her lips for a second before he looked back into her eyes with something like hunger in them.

Bonnie didn't want to, but she reacted to his intense look. Her stomach filled with butterflies and her heartbeat grew stronger. She had to swallow hard as she held his gaze. She had no clue what kind of emotions were playing on her own face, since she was so distracted by his stormy blue eyes. It was like he had trapped her in a daze and she neither had the power nor the will to escape his look.

She had always known that Kai secretly had a crush on her and it had always rubbed her the wrong way. But this intense staring contest had not been the first sign that Bonnie might be more open to his feelings that she wanted and realized. For a while now, Bonnie had felt drawn to Kai. His presence not at all a discomfort to her any more. She was still reluctant to act on her feelings, which was why she shied away from him when he leaned forward, trying to get closer to her face.

"Now, get out.", Bonnie demanded, and Kai smiled once more before getting up. He chuckled as he had become aware of what Bonnie nearly let happen and she knew that he knew, that this was just going to be the start of a very persistent wooing. One that Bonnie wouldn't be able to resist forever, as both of them were very aware of.

"Alright, I'll just take the glass and be out of your hair.", he said as he stood.

Bonnie reached for the glass to hand it to him in the same moment as he bent down to take it. Their hands collided at the cold glass and there was a massive outburst of magic forming from the place where their fingers touched and Bonnie had to close her eyes in order to shield them from the bright light emerging their hands.

When she reopened them she was alone. It was dark out and she realized that she was standing in the Parker family home in Portland.

What the hell? What had happened that she ended up here? She wasn't even sleeping.

Like usually, she felt like her body told her where to go, so she moved to the stairs leading to the second floor. She couldn't hear much from upstairs but that was not where her body wanted to go anyways. She headed straight for the living room where she could hear the sound of the running TV. The weather report was on forecasting a lovely sunny day for May 10th, 1994.

Bonnie's face fell. Oh god. It was May 9th. The day Kai murdered his siblings. Bonnie had never considered the possibility of living through that memory and panicked at the thought of being a helpless bystander and witness in the murder of four innocent kids.

She wanted to turn around and go the other way. She wanted to get upstairs and warn the others about what was going to happen, but her body didn't let her. That was not the reason she was here for. Her reason was sitting at the wing chair in the corner of the room, fidgeting with a baseball bat in his hands, looking more like the Kai she knew like any other version of him she had met up until this point. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't even realize Bonnie was in the room.

A shudder went down her spine when she saw the darkness reflecting in his eyes and tried to compare it with the look, she had just seen in them a few seconds ago. This Kai was in a very dark place. He was debating whether or not to kill his unaware brothers and sisters and traumatize the ones that would get away from the night.

Kai himself had told her that there was no way of changing the past. That you could change a few puzzle pieces, but the outcome would still be the same. If he was right, she wouldn't be able to safe any of his siblings tonight.

Carefully Bonnie took a few steps towards him. She feared that whatever she was going to tell him would end up making him snap and ultimately making her the reason for his siblings' deaths. But she had to do something, she wouldn't have come here otherwise.

"Kai?", Bonnie asked softly but he didn't seem to hear her. "Kai, it's me, Bonnie."

His cold blue eyes darted up to her face, taking in her form. Then his face transformed into a grimace.

"Oh, this is rich.", he said sarcastically. Bonnie didn't understand what he meant.

"What are you talking about?"

"You, of course! My very own Jiminy Cricket. The always reliable Bonnie Bennett, here to save the day.", he laughed manically and Bonnie shivered. "You really think you can stop me this time, huh? I'll let you in on a little secret, Bon. I have thought this through for years now. There is no stopping me now."

Bonnie shook her head. "I refuse to believe that. I know I can help you, if you let me."

"You help me? How would you help me? By giving me another helpful advice on how to life with being my father's bitch? Or do you think that this cute little smile of yours will just solve all the problems for you?" He leaned forward now, resting his weight on the baseball bat he was holding. "Tell me Bonnie, I am very curious."

The panic inside her was still rising because she realized that she wasn't in any way prepared to deal with this. What was she supposed to tell him to make him realize he was doing something horribly wrong?

"I- I don't know.", Bonnie admitted and her eyes started to water. Kai was surprised by her statement and for a second, she could read doubt in his eyes. But then he shook his head and his face was blank again.

"Well, I guess that was a nice try." Kai got up from the chair and headed Bonnie's way. When he was about to pass her, she blocked his way. His eyes narrowed threateningly to her and for the first time Bonnie wondered what would happen if she died in this crazy world.

"Get out of my way.", Kai hissed, barely containing his anger.

"No.", Bonnie insisted, her fear clearly audible in her voice.

Kai laughed as he heard her insecurity. "You are adorable if you think your tiny little body could stop me."

"I know that it won't. I'm just hoping that I can convince you not to do this otherwise."

Kai sniffed scornfully. "Get out of my way, Bonnie."

Bonnie took a step closer to him, their chests nearly touch now. A tear fell down her cheek but she bravely looked into his eyes. "No!"

There was a streak of doubt again as Kai realized that the only way of getting his plan done would be to get through Bonnie. It was a high bargain, but she hoped that her safety meant something to him.

And indeed, Kai lowered his head when he spoke again, this time more softly. "I don't want to hurt you, Bonnie. But if you keep standing in my way I might have to."

"No, you don't. You can fight this.", Bonnie said and slowly reached out her hand to cup his cheek. It was a risk trying to touch him in this state, but Bonnie had no other choice but to be bold now.

When Bonnie's hand reached Kai's cheek, he closed his eyes as if her touch hurt him. But then his expression visibly relaxed and she felt him lean into her touch. She tried to sooth him as she reached for the baseball bat with her other hand but when she touched it, Kai snapped again.

"No.", he exclaimed and violently grabbed both her hands with his. He started syphoning her and Bonnie cried out in pain. "It's too late for comfort, BonBon. I have lived through endless pain and isolation only to find out that I wasn't going to be the coven leader to begin with. You know how that feels, Bonnie? Having the only thing you ever wanted ripped away from you just because your powers aren't normal? Why did he have to hurt me all those times if he always had a backup plan? Why couldn't he just leave me alone, huh Bonnie?"

"Kai, you're- you're hurting me.", Bonnie yelled in pain but it didn't seem to reach him.

"Your efforts are too little too late. I accepted my fate, now my father has to face his. I need him to suffer. I need them all to suffer. I can not let you intervene." Kai suddenly stopped syphoning Bonnie and passed her now weary body without effort. Bonnie was weak form being drained of her magic but Kai's last statement told her that there was still a chance for her to reach him.

With the very last power she had inside her, she reached out her hand and grabbed Kai's shoulder before he could disappear into another room. She caught him by surprise which was why she could turn him around to face her. She got on her tiptoes, palmed is cheeks with her hands and crashed her lips onto his in one last desperate attempt to change his mind.

The kiss was hard and forced. Kai was too surprised by the action to fight her. He could have easily pushed her away since all her power had disappeared. She was only holding on to his face for dear life now, hoping that she hadn't been reading him completely wrong all those times. Bonnie's tears were still running down her cheeks and she had no intention or power to stop them.

Her lips didn't move against his and he didn't know how to react to her boldness. She expected him to push her away every moment because with every second that went by that he didn't react to her, her hope shrunk. But then finally, she felt something shift within him. He shifted his weight from one foot to another before she heard him drop the baseball bat and felt his hands wrap around her body and softly rest on the small of her back before his lips started to move against hers.

Bonnie released her death grip on his jaw and lowered her hands to his neck, wrapping an arm around his neck and thus pulling him even closer into her. Kai took a few steps and made Bonnie walk backwards until she felt her back hit the wall. His hands were now resting against her neck, pulling her into him. Her hands had lowered to rest against his chest as she let him deepen the kiss.

Her mind had wandered far away as she let Kai explore her mouth with his tongue and she was just as eager as him to do the same. All the pend up tension Bonnie had been hiding from him in the present day now released itself in this kiss. Even though the kiss turned more heated by the second, Bonnie and Kai stayed civilized with the way they were placing their hands.

One of Kai's hands was placed on the wall next to Bonnie to stabilize their position, the other lightly gripped her hip. Bonnie's hands tailed up and down Kai's chest and found their way back to his neck and hair. Her heart did funny things tough. The lack of excitement that her hands had shown was doubled by the racing heartbeat Bonnie was experiencing right now. Her skin was on fire and every thought she had was circling around this moment.

She couldn't be sure if her paradox intervention had finally pulled Kai out of his murderous state, but she could only hope. After a while of heavily make-out, Kai's and Bonnie's lips slowed down a bit. The kiss turned softer now and suddenly Bonnie felt something wet coating her cheeks. She instantly knew that it was tears but not her own, but Kai's.

Bonnie pulled away from him to watch him. His eyes were full of pain and self-loathing as she cupped his face and stroked his cheeks with her thumbs to wipe away his tears.

"I'm losing my mind.", Kai whispered in a barely audible voice.

"Shhh.", Bonnie said and pulled him into a tight hug. Kai instantly wrapped his arms around her waist tightly. "No, you're not. You're stronger than this. You can fight it.", Bonnie tried to assure him.

Kai buried his face in the crook of her neck. "No, I can't. I can't.", he mumbled against her skin in desperation.

"Yes, yes you can. You know why?" Bonnie made him lift his head so he could look at her. His eyes were still swimming in tears, but he locked his gaze to her anyways as her hands were keeping his face in place. "Because I believe in you."

The pain on Kai's face was visible as he kept fighting his dark urges. "Please, don't leave me.", he begged her.

Bonnie sighed. "You know I can't stay."

"Why? Why?", Kai started to tear up again. Bonnie has never seen him so desperate. He tried to wiggle his way out of her hold, but she kept a firm hold on him.

"Because-", she stopped him from fighting her and made him look at her again. "I need to get back to you."

Kai looked defeated as he realized what she was telling him. She wished she could stay here with him though, since right now he seemed to need her more than her Kai. But she knew that ultimately, this dream version of him would turn into the man she knew. Bonnie pulled him down and rested their foreheads against each other.

"Where are you?", Kai whispered. Bonnie didn't know if he had meant to say this question out loud, but she still answered.

"I can't tell you. But you will find me. And when you do, you can't give up on me, like I won't give up on you."

Bonnie pressed her lips onto his again, this time more for herself then for him but Kai accepted her offer, reciprocating. This time, Bonnie felt more like the kiss entrapped her more than the previous one. There was a pull in her stomach that she had ignored for some time now and was finally giving into.

She had meant what she had told him. She needed him to keep pushing her in the present day, because Bonnie was too scared of her own feelings to ever peruse this on her own. Their fate lay in his hands entirely.

They broke the kiss after a while and Kai rested his forehead against hers. He seemed defeated and weak and because Bonnie hadn't felt that familiar ping that announced her return to present day, she took Kai's hand and led him to the couch. Sitting down on it, she watched a reluctant Kai still standing in front of her. Bonnie softly pulled on his arm, making him join her on the couch.

He leaned back into the couch, resting his head on the backrest and closed his eyes. Bonnie tried imaging what was going on in his head, but she could only think of turmoil. When she reached out her hand to stroke his hair softly, she wasn't too surprised as he leaned into her touch. This little moment might have been the most honest and comfortable one she had ever been with Kai.

But of course, it was cut short by the rushing sound that filled Bonnie's ears and told her she wasn't meant to stay forever.

"You need to leave.", Kai stated sadly as he witnessed her change in demeanor.

"Unfortunately." She stroked his hair once more. "Stay strong.", she whispered in his ear right before she disappeared.

….

She breathed in heavily as she reopened her eyes. She was lying on her back in some bed. It was all too confusing to understand what had just happened, so it took her a while to realize she was in a hotel room in New Orleans. Then she remembered what happened and quickly sat up.

She found Kai sitting on the floor. He must have slipped when they touched hands because he was stabilizing his body with his lower arms. The look on his face showed her that he had felt whatever had happened too. His eyes were widened, and he was breathing heavily.

Bonnie wanted to get closer to him, but he reached out an arm in defense, telling her to stay where she was. A look of pure panic rushed over his features.

"What are you doing in my head?", he asked accusingly and now it was Bonnie's turn to watch him with wide eyes of shock. Did he know what had happened?

Bonnie stayed silent, trying to get a hold of the situation. Her silence made Kai furious though. "What the fuck have you been doing?"

Bonnie swallowed, trying to regain her voice. "You know?"

"Know what? That you have been fucking with my mind for the past few days?", he yelled at her.

"I didn't do this on purpose, I didn't even know what this was. Please, Kai. Let me explain." Bonnie got out of the bed to get closer to him, but he stood up and took a few steps away from her.

"I thought I was losing my mind, Bonnie.", he said in a low voice that was spiked with hurt. "I couldn't sleep anymore. I have all these memories and I don't know what's real and what's fake anymore."

"Let me help you with that.", Bonnie tried to reason with him but he shook his head. His eyes turned angry again.

"No, you did enough. Stay out of my head."

With that Kai stormed out of her room. Bonnie wanted to follow him but when she reached the open door, she remembered she wasn't wearing any pants. She swore and went back inside the room to find a pair of jeans and a jacket to throw over her plain shirt. When she did, Kai was long gone. She couldn't find any trace of him anywhere around town. She wandered the streets for hours, her heart pounding like crazy. She needed to talk to him, explain everything. How could she have known that Kai was experiencing everything that she was? How could she have known any of this was real?

Desperation took her over as she went back to the hotel to check his room. She knocked on the door and heard rumblings behind it. Her hope raised as she heart footsteps coming closer and when the door got opened she wanted to jump in, in case Kai closed the door on her again.

But it wasn't Kai that opened the door. It was a middle-aged woman, wearing the cleaning crew outfit. Bonnie's face dropped as she realized Kai had already checked out.

"Can I help you with something, Miss? Did you forget something?", the woman asked.

"N-no. I just- Do you know if the guy who checked into this room last night is still around?"

"No, he must have checked out already. Otherwise I wouldn't be in here.", the woman looked at her pitifully as if she knew what Bonnie was trying to do. Bonnie thanked her anyways and headed to her own room. She tried calling him for the hundredths time that day, but his phone was still turned off. She threw her own into the corner of the room in frustration as she let herself drop down on the bed.

How did this day turn into such a horrible one within a matter of minutes? How could Kai's wellbeing and feelings be the reason of her own terrible feelings? And how could Kai leaving her behind feel so completely different then the last time he left her alone in the prison world?

Her overall concern for Kai was confusing but she tried to push it aside and focus on what to do. They had been so close to have the final answer and now that Kai seemed to be pissed at her, Bonnie doubted that he was still up to helping Elena. She had hurt him and she knew exactly what his reaction to betrayal was. Retaliation.

The only logical thing to do now, was to book a flight back to Virginia and start her search for the cure problem all over again. Kai had all the information she needed to turn Elena's blood into a new version of the cure and thus making her safe from attacks. Now, with the recipe for the cure gone, she had no idea where to start digging again. Without the help of Kai, she wouldn't have found their first solution to begin with. Desperation took hold of Bonnie as she lay on her bed.

She wished the feeling was mostly fueled by her incapability of finding another solution to the Elena problem, but deep down she knew that it was because of Kai's disappearance.

Bonnie groaned and took out her phone. There was no time to mope. She needed to get back to Mystic Falls as soon as possible. At least she could bring partly good news back home.

The next flight to Virginia was in a few hours. Bonnie packed up her stuff and checked out of the hotel within minutes. Then she took a cap to the airport and waited for her flight. When she arrived back in Mystic Falls it was way past midnight and all she wanted was to get into her bed. So, she did that, telling herself that she could face her friends tomorrow. What difference would a day make?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

She went to the Boarding House around noon, to bring Elena the bad news. As usual the front door of the estate was unlocked so Bonnie let herself in.

There were no sounds anywhere in the house to give her a clue to where their residents might be, so Bonnie called out for Elena, Damon and even Stefan to show their faces. Then she heard footsteps running downstairs and before she knew it, Elena's strong arms enveloped her. She was taken aback a bit, because she hadn't anticipated this welcome. She had only been gone for a few days.

"Thank god, Bonnie.", Elena spoke out as she kept the witch close to her chest. "You're safe!"

"Of course I am.", Bonnie laughed and pulled herself away from Elena's death grip. Even though she was human again, the years of vampirism must have rubbed off on her.

Elena looked worried as Bonnie smiled reassuringly. Suddenly the front door got opened and Damon came rushing in with vampire speed. "Bon, you're back!", Damon let out in a relieved voice.

Now, Bonnie was really confused. Had they honestly been worried about her? They had known where she had gone.

"Okay guys, no need to worry. I am doing great.", Bonnie tried to ease their worried minds and Elena smiled happily. Then Bonnie remembered the reason for her visit and her face dropped. She turned to Elena with a serious look on her face.

"I don't bring entirely good news, Elena. Kai and I negotiated a truce with Klaus. So, you are safe from him." Bonnie neglected to say that after negotiating the three had gone to heavy drinking on purpose. "But- Kai and I- we had a fight and Kai ran taking the solution to the cure problem with him. I don't think he will be of much help anymore."

"But Bonnie, Kai was already here to take my blood.", Elena interrupted her and Bonnie looked at her with wide eyes.

"What?"

"Yeah, that was why we were so worried about you. When Kai came back without you, not telling us where you are- actually not speaking much at all- we were so worried. And then your phone was turned off and we couldn't reach you. We're so happy your safe."

Bonnie took in the new information. Kai had still helped Elena with the cure. Why would he do that? Bonnie was confused.

"The little magic sucker didn't even tell us what he was doing to Elena.", Damon continued. "He marched right in here, claiming Elena's arm and chanting some gibberish. Elena was in so much pain that I wanted to interfere, but he straight up shoved me into the opposite wall and I couldn't move. Then he took out the syringe and took Elena's blood. Said he'd be back with the cure and then he left. We don't even know what he meant by all of this."

Damon looked at Bonnie expectantly, but she was still not over the fact that Kai had actually stuck around to help. And he must still be close if he told them to be back with the real cure. That gave her hope to find a way to speak to him.

"Earth to Bonnie.", Damon yelled and waved his hand in front of her face. She must have zoned out in her thoughts about Kai and Damon, being Damon, got impatient. Elena looked at Bonnie with curious eyes. Did she notice something?

"Well, Kai and I found this old text from one of the Gemini ancestors talking about how Quetiya made the cure. Then we transferred it into a way of extracting the cure from Elena's body without the aging affect to begin. That was probably the gibberish that you heard, Damon. It was the spell he used to stop Elena's cells from aging. He needs her blood now to transform it into another cure, so that we can hide it somewhere safe.", Bonnie explained to them.

"Alright, the next time you see Mr. Coven leader, tell him it doesn't hurt to talk. He usually likes hearing his own voice. I thought old habits die hard.", Damon nagged and left for the living room. Bonnie ignored the uncomfortable sting in her stomach as Damon suggested she'd see him again, because she had the feeling that it would still take some time until that happened.

When Damon was gone, Elena turned to Bonnie with a worried expression.

"You okay, Bonnie?"

"Hm? Yeah, totally.", Bonnie tried to fool both Elena and herself.

"Do you want to tell me what happened between you and Kai? Why you fought?"

Bonnie swallowed the lump in her throat and kept up her pokerface. "Oh, it was nothing really. You know us, we just don't get along for too long. This trip was always doomed to end up in an explosion."

Elena didn't say anything but just kept looking at her. Then, when she decided she would leave the topic be, she shrugged and followed Damon into the living room. Bonnie sighed reaching out for the coffee table in the corner of the room and taking a huge sip of bourbon.

….

Just like Bonnie suggested, Kai avoided her for days. It's been nearly a week since their fallout in New Orleans and Kai still didn't take her calls. Bonnie had even tried a locator spell, but he must have hidden himself well because she couldn't find a trace of him anywhere near Mystic Falls. Damn these Geminis.

Over the time, Bonnie's mood got worse and worse. Sometimes she felt like she was about to cry because she couldn't clarify the situation with Kai. How his forgiveness meant so much to her was a mystery in its own. Meanwhile, Bonnie was busy trying to fake a smile for her friends. After Elena's inquiry, Caroline was even harder to convince nothing major had happened between Kai and her in New Orleans.

One day, when Bonnie and Caroline went for some ice cream and Bonnie thought she saw Kai in the crowd, she nearly jumped off her seat. But when it turned out it was just some guy resembling Kai, Bonnie was disappointed. Caroline had bared witness to all of this and since holding back wasn't her strong suit, she just addressed it.

"Bon, can I ask you something? Do you have a thing for Kai Parker?"

Bonnie's eyes widened and she felt exposed. Then she laughed hysterically. "Yeah, right Caroline. I am into Kai freaking Parker. Like that would ever happen. Don't be ridiculous."

As she spoke the words, she already realized that they sounded more like a confession than a denial. She looked over to Caroline, who was smirking knowingly. Then she hit her arm.

"Bonnie Bennett, who would have thought that you would be attracted to a bad boy one day."

Bonnie looked around if anyone had heard her. "I am not attracted to anyone, Caroline. Would you please turn your voice down?"

Caroline laughed and leaned forward. "If he means nothing to you, then why are you reacting like this?"

"I'm not reacting like anything. You're imagining things.", Bonnie hissed and Caroline kept quiet. She watched her best friends with curious eyes and Bonne started to feel uncomfortable. Then her gaze turned soft.

"Bonnie, I know this might be hard for you, but I want you to know that I am fully supporting you. No matter what he did and what a jerk he can be, if you like him- I mean maybe you should give this all a try.", she suggested.

"To what end, Caroline?", Bonnie asked with emerging anger. Not at Caroline but herself. No matter if she decided to pursue her undeniable feelings for Kai, she had screwed everything up. "He hates me.", Bonnie whispered and even Caroline with her vampire hearing had to focus to understand it.

"I don't think that he does. Otherwise, why would he stick around?", Caroline tried to lighten the mood.

"Who knows if he did? Maybe he took Elena's blood and ran. It would certainly be something he'd do."

Caroline shook her head. "No, he wouldn't. He has nothing to gain from having the cure. Plus, he is so smitten with you, he wouldn't leave without talking to you." When Bonnie looked doubtfully at Caroline she added. "Oh please, Bonnie. Everyone noticed. He was as subtle as canary. The way he looked at you when you weren't paying attention. Gosh, the boy has a huge crush on you."

Something inside Bonnie tingled as she heard Caroline say this. She was still not willing to believe it, but she had to admit that the thought of it was something that Bonnie wouldn't despise anymore. But it didn't help her, she didn't know where he was or if he would even forgive her.

Bonnie and Caroline kept talking about it for a while and Caroline agreed to be updating her if she ever saw Kai around the Boarding house.

When Bonnie went home, she realized for the first time, that she was looking forward to falling asleep. In her dreams, she still got to see Kai. Even though she had tried to avoid it the dreams of him kept happening. She visited Kai in various times during the night and always enjoyed her stay.

Once he was 10 years old and she helped him build a tree house. One time he was around 13 and being a total grumpy teenager and Bonnie thought it was adorable. Another time he was 8 and telling Bonnie about the bees that they were studying in school. All these times Kai had seemed happy to see her and it made Bonnie feel less alone. Every morning when she woke up, she had to fight the feeling of loneliness she hadn't felt in a long time. She missed Kai, her version of Kai. What would she give to see him and talk to him? Damn, the bastard had gotten under her skin.

But her life must go on. She decided to go back to school in a few weeks and was about to do supply shopping in town when Caroline called her.

"Hey Care.", she picked up.

"Bon, where are you?", Caroline whispered on the other end.

"I'm in town. Why are you whispering?", Bonnie laughed.

"He's here."

Bonnie stopped in her tracks. She knew exactly who she was talking about. Bonnie swallowed.

"Where?"

"Boarding house. He came with the cure. Damon wants to take it now there discussing if it is a wise choice. Or more, Elena and Damon are yelling at each other and Kai is trying not to freak out. Can you come over?"

Bonnie nodded until she realized that Caroline wasn't able to see that. "I'll be right there, make sure he doesn't leave before that." Bonnie hung up and ran back to her car. She rushed to the Boarding house and when she entered, she was a little out of breath.

Inside she found a group of people standing in a circle and Damon was sitting on a chair. He looked determined but Elena was nervously pressing her hand to her mouth. Bonnie's eyes darted to the man standing in front of Damon and her heart missed a beat as her eyes took in Kai's sight for the first time in weeks.

Bonnie wanted to rush over there and talk to him, but her feet didn't move one bit. That was when Elena realized she had entered and called out to her.

"Bonnie, thank god you're here." Elena beamed herself a way through the crowd of people, consisting of Stefan, Caroline, Enzo, Alaric and even Jo. "Please tell Damon that it's insane to want to try and be the guinea pig to Kai's mystery spell."

Elena had reached up to her and pulled her closer to the group.

"Actually, you were the guinea pig.", Damon yelled from where he sat and Elena turned to him to glare daggers at him.

"It's not what I mean. I wasn't in any danger to turn into dust within a matter of weeks when the cure was extracted from my veins but you are. Bonnie can you please talk him out of this."

"Bonnie has no real way of knowing if this really works either. It's not like it has been done before so many times that she can draw on any experiences.", Enzo interfered and started a lively discussion in the group.

Bonnie wasn't even able to give her expert opinion on the matter because everyone was already discussing the pros and cons of Damon becoming human and getting the Elena-Gilbert-extraction treatment by Kai, who was the only one not involved in the discussion by the way. He only rolled his eyes at the group of friends and took a few steps away from them.

Bonnie followed him with her eyes and when their gazes connected briefly, she felt a cold rush through her. Kai barely acknowledged her presence. He looked at her for a second with any hint of emotion and then turned his head to look the other way. Bonnie couldn't handle this situation anymore, so she went over to him, leaving their debating friends alone.

When she approached him, he tried to seem like he didn't see her coming.

"Hey.", Bonnie greeted him and wanted to slap herself for sounding so dumb.

He didn't look at her when he shortly greeted her back.

"Can we talk?", Bonnie asked and stepped closer to him.

"About what? The fact that your friends are idiots? I guess, we've already established that.", Kai said while still avoiding her gaze.

"No, not that. About what happened back in New Orleans. What's been happening in my dreams?"

Kai's nostrils flared as she mentioned the dreams. He still didn't turn as he spoke with ice in his voice. "There is nothing to talk about."

"I think there is. I want you to know that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to invade your head and I know I had no right to see all of these things-"

"Then why do you keep doing it?", Kai hissed and finally turned his head to look at her. His eyes were furious and his expression hard. Bonnie's own eyes widened in shock as she realized how angry he still was. When Bonnie felt her eyes water Kai seemed to notice it as well because his eyes softened for a second and Bonnie's hopes rose that he might give in after all.

But he didn't. He only sighed and then turned back to the fighting group. "Alright everybody, listen up.", he yelled and everyone turned to look at him. "This is entirely Damon's choice. If he wants to do it, then we'll do it. Otherwise I'll be out of here. I don't want to listen to your endless babbling all day long."

The group turned to Damon, who was still sitting in the chair. "We're doing it.", Damon agreed and Kai nodded. He went over to the couch and grabbed something out of a bag. Bonnie realized it was a syringe as he went over to Jo and handed it to her.

She looked at him perplexed. "Me?"

"You are a doctor, right? This needs to be implanted right in his vein. I can do it, but maybe your way will be a bit more precise."

Jo nodded and turned to over to Damon. She reached out for his left arm and inserted the syringe into his arm. Within a matter of seconds, Damon's body reacted to the cure and he blacked out. The group was patiently waiting for him to wake up and Elena was kneeling by his side, worry written across her face.

Bonnie couldn't focus on what was happening because she was still busy fighting back her tears. When Damon awoke again, Elena embraced him with a tight hug.

Kai went over and checked if the cure had worked. When he cut Damon's finger and the wound didn't close right away, they knew that Damon Salvatore was no longer a vampire. Everyone seemed relieved until Damon demanded that Kai do his 'witchywoo'. Kai nodded and grabbed Damon's head. Everyone was holding their breaths.

It was an ancient spell that Bonnie didn't know the language to and it took a while before Kai ended it. Then he indicated to Jo to fill the syringe up with Damon's blood again and he stepped away. Jo hesitated for a second but then she took Damon's blood. The vampire-turned-human hissed in pain as Jo filled the syringe up. When she was done, everyone gathered to see if anything had changed.

"I'm feeling good guys, no need to worry.", Damon exclaimed but Bonnie and Kai both knew they could only be certain of that after a while. Kai took the syringe from Jo and told everyone to keep looking after Damon and if there were any changes in him, to call him. Then he went back to the couch, placed the syringe filled with Damon's blood back in the bag and headed for the door.

Bonnie went after him. "What's going to happen with the blood now?", she called after him, making him stop.

"I'll take it back to my place and will turn it into the med that Jo just injected Damon with so that one of your other friends can take the road back to the living.", Kai answered, not as icy as before.

"Need any help with that?", Bonnie asked and Kai turned to look at her. They locked gazes for a while and Bonnie felt the yearning in her gut that had been omnipresent for the past few weeks. She wanted to reach out to him and pull him into her arms, but she didn't.

Kai sighed. "Actually, this is pretty complicated and it takes some time until it's done. I need to be completely focused and can't use anyone's help on it. I'm sorry.", Kai said and looked at the floor. He seemed genuinely sorry and that broke Bonnie's heart even more because it meant that he really didn't want to be spending time with her.

"Oh, okay.", Bonnie said, trying to sound as unaffected as possible. "I'll just, I'll go check on Damon then. See you around?"

"Sure.", Kai said and opened the door, leaving her in the entrance like some fool.

…..

She had spent some time at the Salvatore's to make sure Damon was okay. He was, at least as far as Bonnie could tell. Of course, he had troubles adjusting to his new being after over 150 years of being a bloodsucker. It was quite the change, but Elena was by his side to guide him through it. She had promised to call Bonnie as soon as there was any change in Damon's wellbeing. Leaving her friend in Elena's trusted hands gave Bonnie some reassurance to leave them. They could use the privacy to talk about their future.

Bonnie herself had to prepare for more of these changes. She believed that a bunch of her other friends wanted to go through the procedure if Damon turned out to be okay. Stefan was the first one to come to mind. Even though it might become problematic if Caroline decided she didn't want to turn back into a human. Stefan loved Caroline, Bonnie knew that, but did he love her more than the prospect of becoming human again. Something that he had wanted for most of his supernatural life? Bonnie would have to wait and see where it was going. Maybe Enzo would decide to become human again and spent the rest of his mortal life with Sarah Nelson. The two had been pretty cozy lately.

Bonnie sighed as she opened the door to her house. It had been an eventful day and she hadn't even thought about the terrible conversation she did or did not have with Kai. When she entered her house and was greeted with silence. She kicked off her shoes and went into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. With the glass in hand she directly went to the bedroom and got changed into her pj's. She cuddled into her pillow and let the fatigue of the day claim her. Within minutes she was drifting off to sleep and she welcomed the sleep with open arms. She would be seeing him very soon.

…

It was a warm summer day and she was standing on the edge of the Parker property. She could see the house in the far, but she was turned towards the woods surrounding the back yard. Bonnie took in her surroundings as there was no sign of Kai anywhere close. If he was out here, he must be hiding.

Bonnie looked up to the sky. It seemed like there was a storm coming. She should find Kai and warn him before he would get soaked in the rain. Bonnie went along the edge of the woods surrounding the property, looking out for Kai. She had no idea in what time she had appeared, so she didn't know if she was looking for a kid or a teenage boy. She called out for him but there was no response, which was weird. She never had to search for him before.

Bonnie was already at the house and hadn't found him yet. She saw a bunch of cars parking in front of the Parker home, a sight she hadn't seen before either. There must have been a gathering inside because the Parkers were usually very guarded. Bonnie was about to turn around when she recognized one of the cars. She shook her head as she didn't believe that of all people in the world, her grams would be here right now.

Her gaze went up to the house as she tried to get a peek into it, to find out where and who was gathering inside. She stepped closer to the house, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible as she heard a quite sneeze behind her. Bonnie felt her gut telling her to turn around and she did, knowing that she would find what she came here to see. With a smile on her face she stepped closer to the bushes behind the parking cars. She could see some movement behind it and her smile grew brighter. The small figure hiding in the bushes couldn't be older than nine. Bonnie always enjoyed spending time with the kid version of Kai. He was so curious and adventurous, it was hard not getting infected by his good mood.

"Hm, who could be hiding in those bushes over there? I have no idea, but I could imagine that it is my good friend Kai. Am I right?", Bonnie called out for him to hear her as she stepped closer to him.

She heard rustling inside the bushes and knew that he had heard her too. But he didn't respond to her. Maybe he was going to try and catch her off guard and scare her, he liked doing that. Bonnie didn't want to ruin the fun for him, so she stopped in her tracks.

From where she was standing, she could make out his head, or at least his hair. The short dark strands were brushed through by the upcoming wind. Bonnie wondered when he was going to play out his sneak attack because she needed to make sure he went inside.

"Hey Kai, you know I love fooling around with you but maybe we should take this inside, what do you think? I don't want you to get all wet and sick because I failed to get you to safety."

No response. Just another sniff. Bonnie took another step forward, her alarm bells starting to ring.

"Kai?", she said while she was moving closer to the bushes he was hiding in. She heard another rustling and breaking of branches as Kai moved to turn his back to her. Bonnie frowned. Kai had never reacted this way when he saw her. He was sitting on the ground, his knees pulled to his body and his left arm holding on to his right, while his head hung low. Her worry started to overcome her and she reached out for the small boy, touching his back lightly. That startled the kid and he half turned his head to her.

Bonnie could now see one half of his face and what she saw didn't sit well with her. Kai's eye was red and his cheeks were still a little wet from the tears that had been falling down, what must have been seconds ago.

"Kai? Why are you crying?", Bonnie asked with a soft but concerned voice.

The boy sniffed once more and moved his left hand over his cheek and nose. "I'm not crying. Crying is for babies.", the 9-year-old boy said. His voice was shaky from the pain that had caused him to start crying. He then turned his head away from her again. Bonnie now moved into the scrub to his left side to kneel down next to him. Kai turned his head away from her as she sat down in order to hide his face but it had been too late.

Bonnie inhaled sharply as she slowly moved her hand up and, as carefully as possible, turned his face to her. Kai's left side of the face was reddened. Next to his eye there was a huge bruise beginning to form and his lower lip had been bursted. When Bonnie looked at his face, his eyes started to water again. Slowly, she let her hand sink, afraid that she might have hurt him. She was too distracted by his face that she didn't pay attention on where she let her hand sink onto. She lightly brushed it against his right arm and Kai cried out in pain. That was when she realized that he wasn't only holding his arm but supported it and also tried to stop the bleeding on his left hand.

The arm was clearly broken that meant that Kai must have been in so much pain. The bruise on his cheek indicated that someone else's hand must have caused it. The realization let bile stir up in Bonne.

"Oh my god, Kai. What happened?", she focused her attention on the boy first. She carefully reached out to his left hand to inspect the injury that caused the bleeding. There were a few minor cuts all over his palm that were bleeding like crazy, but Bonnie was positive that, when the shards of glass would be properly cleaned out the bleeding could get under control. Kai's arm was more concerning though.

"I tripped.", Kai snuffled.

Bonnie looked at the scared boy and knew that he was lying. She had heard so much about abused kids trying to find excuses for what happened. Apparently, Kai was no different.

"Where is you dad?", Bonnie asked, trying to keep the anger out of her voice. It must have been him. Joshua Parker had a history of mentally abusing his son, why would he stop there?

Kai's eyes filled with panic as Bonnie mentioned his father. He shook his head. "Don't go talk to my dad, please. Please don't. I promise it won't happen again. It was an accident, I didn't mean to hurt her. Please, believe me. I won't do it again, please. Please." Kai was now crying heavily as he pleaded. It sounded so awful to Bonnie's ear. He didn't have to tell her what happened, she already knew. Joshua Parker had lost control over Kai accidentally syphoning someone, probably Jo or any of his other siblings. Bonnie believed him that he didn't do it on purpose, the boy was 9 for god's sake. How would he be able to control his powers at this young age?

The wind had freshened and Bonnie looked to the sky. She softly brushed her hand over his hair. "Kai, sweetie we need to get you inside. The storm is coming."

Again, Kai shook his head. "I don't want to go back in there. He is only going to throw me out again."

Bonnie's pulse was going into overdrive. What kind of father would hurt his kid like this? Joshua Parker was a monster and she needed to do something to protect Kai from his wrath. Suddenly, she understood what he had to go through and why he had chosen to become a sociopath instead of dealing with this feeling of fear every day. She wished that she wouldn't run into the Parker patriarch right now, because she would probably attack him.

"Hey honey, I need you to do something for me. I need you to cloak us and then we'll sneak inside so I can take care of your hand and arm.", Bonnie softly suggested.

"No, I can't. I don't have any magic."

Bonnie offered her hands to him. "Then take a little of mine."

Kai shook his head in fear. "No, I don't want to hurt you. You do the cloaking spell."

Bonnie understood that this was hard for him. He had just been punished by his father for syphoning and now Bonnie was telling him to do it again. But she had to get him to do it. Kai had never lifted the secret of the cloaking spell to her, something that she will change once she gets back.

"Honey, I don't know the cloaking spell, you will have to do it. I know you don't want to hurt me, but it's different when I offer my magic to you. See? You just have to take my hand and syphon just a tiny bit of it. I promise it'll be okay."

Kai seemed to think about it. The wind was getting stronger by the second and Kai was probably as afraid to stay out here as he was to get back inside. But then, he seemed to have made up his mind. "I don't know if I can cloak both of us. It's so much harder to cloak two people and I don't have a lot of practice." Kai looked down onto the dirty floor in shame and once again Bonnie was sad that he felt like it was his fault that he hadn't had much practice.

"You know what? I'll just carry you. This way we'll be much closer and it'll be much easier for you to cloak us both.", Bonnie got up on her knees and offered her hand to Kai. "Wanna try it?"

Kai nodded and Bonnie carefully helped him up. She bent down to him and offered him her hands again. She nodded reassuringly and Kai placed his bloody hand into hers. The sting from the syphoning was instant and it took Bonnie so much effort not to flinch. She didn't want to make the kid feel bad about the syphoning. As soon as the pain had begun it also ended. Kai let go of Bonnie's hand and looked at her apologetically.

"It's okay. It didn't even hurt that much. See? Everything is still intact." Bonnie waved her hands to show him that she was okay. Her hands were now covered in his blood and she realized that she needed to hurry. She kneed in front of Kai. "Alright, put your right arm over my shoulder."

Kai did what she asked him to do but he hissed as his arm accidentally turned the wrong way. He quickly readjusted it and put his 'healthy' arm around Bonnie's neck. She lifted the boy, that was way to small and thin for his age, up and whispered to him to start the spell.

Kai nodded and said 'Invisique' before Bonnie felt light. She knew that they were invisible now and because it seemed like Kai was really trying hard to uphold the spell, Bonnie rushed over to the house with the kind in her arms, opened the door and carried him up to his room. She had been in his room a few times now, so she knew where to go. As she passed the closed living room door, she could hear voices behind it. One of those voices belonged to Joshua Parker and she had to fight every instinct of her body not to run in there and _motus_ the crap out of the bastard.

Kai held onto Bonnie as best as he could. Even though he was small, it was harder to carry him than Bonnie had expected. When she reached his room, she slowly let the exhausted kid down on his bed and told him to stay right where he was. Bonnie went downstairs to the kitchen where she remembered the first aid kid was. On her way down there, she passed a broken glass table. The shards on the ground were a little bloody and Bonnie imagined Kai lying on the floor after Joshua had hit him, trying to get up and cutting himself on the broken glass. Bonnie shook her head to get the pictures out. She needed to focus.

When she reached the kitchen, she started rummaging through the cabinets to find the first aid kid. She heaviness of her movements told her that she wasn't cloaked any longer and she sped up her search. She didn't want to be found by Joshua. The last cabinet finally held what she was searching for. She quickly filled a bowl with water and placed a cloth in it. When she turned around, she suddenly had a familiar feeling in her gut.

"Who the hell are you?", a familiar voice asked her and when Bonnie's eyes took in the sight of a young Sheila Bennett, her heart nearly stopped. Her grams looked good. Amazing actually. Her hair was wavy as ever but her brown eyes were much clearer. They didn't hold the usual love though. Of course not. Her mother must have been a teenager now. There was no way Sheila would know who she was. And she was staring at her with an intensity that Bonnie knew all too well. It was her "you are late" look that Bonnie always feared. Even though the woman looked at her like this, all Bonnie wanted to do was run over to her and hug her. But she didn't.

"I am not asking again, child."

"Ehm, I'm-", Bonnie tried to come up with a lie but it was much harder now that her grams was inquiring her. "I-"

"Maybe I should go get Joshua. That should loosen your tongue alright.", Sheila said and turned.

Bonnie quickly placed the bowl on the counter next to her and rushed to her grandmother. She reached out to her hand and stopped her in her tracks. The familiar feeling of warmth and connection flooded through Bonnie and Sheila must have felt it too because she froze and turned around to face Bonnie.

"What is this?", Sheila asked with wide eyes. Bonnie smelled her chance and grabbed Sheila's other hand, the way that Lucy had once done with her.

"You feel this?", Bonnie asked, trying to intensify the feeling of connection with her grandmother without telling her who she was. "This feeling, it's familiar. You know it. You can trust me."

Bonnie imagined what Sheila was going through now. She had once gone through the same thing as Lucy had revealed to her that she was related to her. Sheila must realize that Bonnie was family and nodded. Bonnie sighed.

"Who are you?", Sheila asked, eyes still wide.

"That doesn't matter, I'm not here to do any harm. I just need your help. Will you help me?", Bonnie asked and only had to wait a second before Sheila nodded, still a little perplexed.

Bonnie reached for the bowl of water and placed it in Sheila's hands. Then she led the way to Kai's room. She knocked as she entered.

"Hey buddy, I brought some help.", she warned him of her company and Kai instantly shied away from the door. He was now sitting on the end of the bed and Bonnie quickly went inside to calm him down, giving Sheila the room to enter.

When she did and saw who Bonnie was with, she hissed. "What are you doing with him? We can't be here with him, he is an abomination.", Sheila said and was about to leave the room again. Bonnie was shocked by what her grandmother said and Kai next to her started whimpering again. Bonnie rushed to her grandmother to keep her from leaving. She grabbed her hands once more.

"No, he is not. Look at him.", Bonnie insisted and looked into the fearful eyes of her grandmother. What the hell did she think Kai was? She led Sheila back into the room. "He is just a kid and he is hurt."

"He is not just a kid. He is dangerous.", Sheila said without lowering her voice. She kept staring at the frightened kid on the bed.

"Why the hell would you say that?"

"That's what Joshua invited all of us here for. Every coven leader of the North American covens. We are here to decide his fate. We have to decide what to do with him so that he can't keep hurting other witches and grow up to swallow all magic around him. He could ruin us all."

Again, Bonnie's anger and hatred for the man grew. "Really, did Joshua say that? Did he also mention that he is full of crap? That he likes beating up his son? Look at him, Sheila. Really look at him."

Bonnie pushed Sheila further into the room. The older woman took a look at Kai and her eyes turned from fearful to shocked.

"Yeah, that's right. Joshua did that to him. The great Joshua Parker is the real monster here, because Kai is just a kid. A kid that has a special kind of ability to syphon magic. And trust me he will not grow up to become the monster that Joshua claims he'll be. He is just a kid that can't control his ability yet. How is that something that needs to be contained. Tell me, Sheila."

Sheila breathed in. "Did Joshua really do this to you, my boy?", she asked Kai in a soft, but hurt voice.

Kai was too scared to answer, so he only nodded. Sheila exhaled and put her hand to her mouth in shock. "God lord."

Bonnie took the bowl out of Sheila's hands and went over to where Kai was sitting. Softly she asked him to reach out his left hand to her. The blood had stopped flowing but the shards were still inside his hand. She needed to get them out. Outside, the sky had darkened extremely and the wind was blowing.

Kai cried out when Bonnie touched his hand with the wet cloth. Suddenly, Sheila was by her side and took the wet thing out of her hands. "Here, let me."

When Sheila wanted to look at Kai's hand, he retraced it out of fear.

"It's okay, Kai. She's a friend.", Bonnie tried to convince him.

"That's right, Kai.", Sheila said. "If you will let me, I'll be your friend. My name is Sheila and I am sorry that I said those things about you earlier. I shouldn't have judged you before getting to know you. I know that you are not dangerous. If you let me, I'll try my very best to make it up to you."

Kai looked at Bonnie's grandmother with huge eyes, inspecting her and trying to figure out if he could trust her. Bonnie wanted to reach out to him and brush her hand reassuringly over his hair but she didn't, because he needed to make that decision on his own. A few moment later, Kai looked at Bonnie with question in his eyes. She smiled at him and nodded her head.

"Okay.", his voice was barely audible and still shaky, but his resolve was undoubtable.

"I am very glad that you are giving me this second change, Kai." Sheila smiled at the young boy in front of her. "Now, I know this won't be easy, but can I take a look at your arm?"

After another reassuring nod from Bonnie, Kai stretched out his right arm and Sheila carefully looked at it without touching it. When she tried to run a finger along his arm, he quickly drew his arm away. Bonnie now realized in how much pain the poor kid must be.

Sheila got up from where she had knelt in front of Kai's bed and grabbed Bonnie's hand to slowly drag her away from the boy. When they had put a few steps between them, she whispered. "He has to see a doctor. I can take care of the bruises with some potion but there is nothing I can do about the arm. I'll need to grab a few ingredients from my room at the B&B I'm staying at." Sheila turned to look Bonnie in the eyes, the same eyes as hers. "You seem to have a good connection to the boy, can you take him to the hospital and wait for me to get there? We shouldn't let Joshua know about this until it's done."

Bonnie uncomfortably stepped from one foot to the other. "I don't know if I can do that to be honest. I – My being here is somehow a mystery, I never know when I have to leave. I don't want to risk me driving to the hospital and then getting pulled away from him and leaving him alone.", she confessed.

Sheila didn't seem to understand what Bonnie was talking about, so she sighed and continued. "This might sound crazy, but I am not exactly from around here. Whenever I dream, I get sent here, this is how I know Kai so well. I have visited him for a while now."

Her explanation was still cryptic but somehow her grandmother seemed to understand. "Have you done some sort of sentiment chant with him at some point?"

"Sentiment chant? I- I don't know what this means.", Bonnie confessed.

"It's this ancient way of doing magic. It might be the purest form of magic. It simply a burst of magic between two individuals that are positively emotionally connected to each other. If you shape it the right way, you can do phenomenal things, things that might be considered impossible.", Sheila explained.

Bonnie shook her head. "No, we haven't done magic together since-. I doubt that out emotional connection is strong enough for any of that."

"Hmmm." Sheila eyed her granddaughter with this look that Bonnie only knew too well. She always gave it to her when she was doubting that Bonnie wasn't telling the truth. "Sentiment chants are tricky, you know. Hard to control when you want them to work, even harder to control when you're unaware of it. Maybe there was a situation in which the two of you were both in the same emotionality and ended up doing the spell accidentally. It might not even have been the most pleasurable emotion. Sometimes anger and fury can have the same effect as happiness, as long as the connection on the emotional level is as deep and strong as required."

This explanation would describe half the moments she had spent with Kai before this whole dreamwalking happened and she doubted that her emotional state was anywhere near rooted and deep at that point. Her mind drifted to all those times they had tried to figure out a way to help Elena and only ended up in a screaming contest. How much she had despised him back then. Any of those fights could have easily had enough emotionality to accidentally start a sentiment chant but there was nothing but hate flowing through her veins. Nothing about their connection was positive. And then it was like the scales fell off her eyes.

She remembered the day that Kai had forbit her to look through one of his grimoires and they started fighting about how horrible a person Kai was. That day, Kai had smashed the grimoire in front of her, grabbing her hands and the lights had started to flicker. Bonnie couldn't remember all the details, but she remembered the tickling feeling that Kai's touch had left on her wrists. And she remembered the page that was opened in the grimoire. Mind-time-travel.

"It can't be.", Bonnie absentmindedly said and Sheila smiled at her.

"I guess you have your answer now."

Bonnie quickly tried to focus again. "No, I didn't even like him back then. I actually hated him. There was nothing positive about our relationship-"

"Do you care about him?", Sheila interrupted. It seemed like she had this all figured out, even though she only had limited information.

Bonnie looked at her dumbstruck. "I- I do."

"Then ask yourself how long you have felt this way. Sometimes feelings are hiding away deep inside us because our conscience doesn't want to deal with them. If the situation you are thinking about was, like you said, only based in hatred, maybe you just weren't ready to accept that change yet."

This revelation hit Bonnie like a lightning. She knew she had feelings for Kai now, but she had thought that it was because she understood him now, where he was coming from and what shaped him. But apparently something about him must have intrigued her even before her visits to the past started.

Bonnie turned around to look at the innocent and vulnerable version of the man that would grow up to be the man that her heart couldn't stop racing for. "How can I make it stop?", she whispered. She loved her visits to the past because she could be with him, but she also knew that he didn't want her to be in his head and she knew that she could never have a real connection to her Kai if she kept slipping into his past.

"Well, you two seemed to have cast a unique spell. A lot of power connected that day. My guess is, that it will be over when you serve the purpose of the spell. What have you been talking about right before the spell was cast?"

Bonnie tried to remember, finally piecing together the reason why this all happened. "That I didn't understand him.", Bonnie finally figured out.

"And do you now? Understand him?"

Again, Bonnie's gaze shifted over to the small form of Kai, how he looked out the window and held his arm in pain. She nodded. "I do."

"I guess, then you won't be coming back here anymore, child." Sheila placed a reassuring hand on Bonnie's shoulder. "Let me get the ingredients. Stay with him, I won't be long."

With that her grandmother turned around and left the room. Bonnie stood frozen in place and watched the door for a while longer. She had no idea if she would see Sheila again and she already missed her amazing advice. All the revelations of the afternoon lay heavy on her shoulders and she nearly jumped when she heard Kai whisper her name.

Bonnie turned around and went over to the bed to sit next to him. "It's okay, I'm here." She carefully placed an arm around him and he instantly placed his head on her shoulder. She could see tears forming in his eyes again and wanted to pull him closer but didn't, because of his broken arm. "Sheila is getting something for your pain. After that she will take you to see a doctor. You don't have to feel this bad for long now.", Bonnie reassured him, knowing fully well that the source of his pain could probably heal but the cause would still be hurting him for a long time. She wished that she could do more for him.

Kai started to cry even more and he pressed his face against her chest as he drenched her shirt with his tears. Bonnie placed an arm around him, pulling him into her lap and rocked him back and forth. She was humming a melody her grandmother used to sing to her when she was a kid and it seemed to calm him down.

After a while, she felt his body slowly relaxing and his cries died out. He was now resting the side of his face that wasn't bruised against her collar bone. Bonnie kept drawing circles on his back, as she held him in place. With every passing minute, Kai's eyes got heavier and heavier, the events of the day, the pain and the exhaustion from the crying finally taking over as he fell asleep in her arms.

Bonnie didn't want to let go of him, because this way she could protect him better, but he was dreaming vividly and moved around in her grasp so that she decided to lay him down on the bed. Gently and very carefully, she tugged him underneath his teddy bear blanket and lay down next to him. She watched him protectively and thought about all the ways she could make the adult Kai forgive her and speak to her again. Grams might have been right about not returning to this dream-state again and she couldn't accept the fact that she wouldn't be seeing him again. All of this happened so that she understood her Kai better, didn't it? Then she needed to find a way to make him see that as well.

She was lost in her thoughts and didn't even realize that he had woken up and was staring at her until he spoke. "Why can't you stay?"

Her hand found his healthy cheek and caressed it. "Honey, if I could stay I would. I wish I could do more for you than this, but my time here is limited. But you can trust Sheila now, she'll keep you safe. I promise."

Kai nodded, the sadness about her leaving written all over his face.

"You need to leave now, right?", he asked.

"No, I have a while longer.", she honestly replied, not feeling the familiar pull in her gut yet. Bonnie kept caressing his sculp. "Why don't you go back to sleep for a while?", she suggested with a warm voice.

"If I go back to sleep, will you be gone when I wake up?"

Bonnie looked at Kai whose eyes were fixed on her. She sighed. "Probably."

Kai looked sad but he crept closer to Bonnie and buried his face in her chest again, closing his eyes. Bonnie pulled him as close as possible without hurting him. She only now realized fully how lonely, hurt and sad he really had been growing up. She remembered her own warm upbringing, despite her mother's absence, she had been loved. Kai's childhood was deprived of love and care. No wonder he was such a broken man now.

Kai's rhythmic breathing told Bonnie that he had gone back to sleep. She wished for her grandmother to return fast because she feared to leave him alone. The feeling in her gut that was pulling her back to the present was starting to resurface and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She pressed a soft kiss on Kai's head and whispered "love you" before she vanished.

**Author's note: Happy May 10****th**** bonkamily. **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

When she awoke, Bonnie felt completely devastated. She turned to her side and started crying. It was the middle of the night and Bonnie felt cold despite the warm blanket being wrapped around her protectively. The events that she had just witnessed had horrified Bonnie to such an extent that she could only hug her pillow close and cry. The feeling of having abandoned the little Kai kept nagging at her and she wished desperately to go back and take care of him. The only comfort she had was that she knew her grams would take care of him.

It took Bonnie a while to calm down and when she did, she turned on the lamp on her nightstand and sad up in bed. She had no idea what to do now but she knew that going back to sleep was not in the cards for her. The only thought roaming her mind was Kai and she tried to find a way to get back in his good graces. A laugh escaped her, as she realized what she had just thought of. A few months ago, she would have yelled at the person telling her that she would develop feelings for Malachai Parker. Or rather that she had feelings for him already because like grams had revealed to her, she had probably been into him for a while now.

A soft knock on the door let Bonnie look up. She was in her bedroom upstairs and that was why she thought she had imagined the knock, but a few seconds later there was a second one. Wondering who was bothering her in the middle of the night, Bonnie went to her dresser and put a dressing gown over her short pajamas and rushed downstairs.

On her way down, she lit the entire house until she hesitantly opened her front door. Baffled as to who was waiting on her porch, she opened the door entirely. There stood Kai Parker, who was nervously jumping from one foot to the other, his eyes widening as Bonnie opened the door. Despite the late night, he was only dressed in a dark t-shirt and jeans.

"Kai? What are you doing here?", Bonnie asked in wonder.

"I- I needed to see you. I mean, I know it's late, but I saw your light was still on." Kai's gaze fell to Bonnie's dressing gown and the pajamas that peaked through it. "Oh, but I see I've woken you up. I'll just- I'll come back another time." He pointed over his shoulder and was about to turn around when Bonnie made a step in his direction and grabbed his hand before he could completely escape her.

"No, please don't go." Bonnie pulled at his hand to make him face her again. She couldn't let this opportunity go to waste. Hadn't she just thought of a way to make him forgive her, this could be the one.

A fresh breeze played around Bonnie's bare legs and goosebumps appeared on it. Bonnie quickly retraced to the door and stepped inside, holding it open for Kai to get in too. "Please, let's talk."

Kai nervously looked at her and swallowed. Then he nodded his head and stepped inside Bonnie's home for the first time. Right when he got in, Bonnie closed the door behind him so that he didn't have a chance to run back out. She led the way into the living room to their right and Kai followed her like a lost puppy.

Bonnie asked him if he needed anything to drink but Kai only shook his head, then she sat down at the couch and indicated for Kai to take the seat next to her.

"No, I'd rather stand, thank you.", he exclaimed and kept running up and down. His nervousness was odd since he was usually so cocky and over-confident. It gave Bonnie a nervous feeling as well.

She knew that she needed to address what she wanted to say but Kai wouldn't let her talk. He had something to get off his chest first.

"I came here, because- well," he stammered before taking a deep breath. "I wanted to apologize for how I treated you the last few weeks."

Bonnie blinked in disbelief as she hadn't anticipated this turn of events. Kai apologizing to her about his behavior? Since Bonnie didn't verbally replied Kai took it as a sign to further explain himself.

"It wasn't fair of me to be mad at you for peaking at my mind. I know you didn't do it on purpose and my reaction was inappropriate. I shouldn't have shut you down like that and I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's just- there was so much happening and changing and my mind was all over the place, I couldn't tell what was right and wrong anymore. My memories kept changing and everything seemed to revolve around you. I thought I was turning crazy and then I realized that I wasn't and that you were actually in my head. That got the better of me. The things that you witnessed- it's really not a part that I liked about my upbringing and I am not really comfortable talking about those events. I guess, I just tried to keep my guard up. So, basically what I am trying to say is: I'm sorry."

After his little monologue ended, Kai let out a breath that he seemed to have held and looked at her expectantly, eyes clear but fearful. At that moment, he reminded Bonnie so much of that small boy she kept visiting in her dreams.

The longer she stayed silent the more she watched him stiffen. And then she finally smiled at him. "You're sorry? I thought I was the one who needed to apologize. You really don't have anything to be sorry for. _I am _sorry for intruding your childhood. I know I should have talked to you as soon as I realized that something was going on. It wasn't my concern and I am sorry that I betrayed your trust like that."

They stared at each other with expectant eyes, and something like longing in them. Kai's expression softened as he realized that they were on the same page again. "So, so we're good, right? We're good.", Kai nervously asked for reassurance.

"Yeah, we're good.", Bonnie agreed and they both shared a small laugh. The atmosphere around them had abruptly changed back into a comfortable one.

"Alright, good that we talked about that.", Kai stated. "I'm sorry that I disturbed you in the middle of the night, I just couldn't sleep and thought about it a lot. I'm just going to leave and let you go back to bed."

Kai was already halfway at the door when Bonnie reached up to him. "Wait, there something else I wanted to talk to you about."

He looked at her a little perplexed and Bonnie used this opportunity to drag him back to the living room and making him sit down next to her. She didn't really know how to start because there was so much she wanted to talk about but she decided that she should start with the most important thing.

"I know why I kept traveling to your childhood. I didn't understand what happened and why I kept going back to various times in your live but now I know. It was a Sentiment Chant."

Bonnie watched Kai's reaction closely. He was clearly understanding what she was talking about.

"A Sentiment chant? That's rare, Bonnie. Even if we fulfilled the requirements of having a deeply positive emotional bond, which by the way we didn't, we would have felt that."

"Well, there is an explanation for that. Do you remember the day we fought about you not letting me read one of your grimoires? We were both furious and yelling until I said something about you and you smashed a book in front of me?"

Kai nodded, looking at her with intense eyes. Bonnie continued. "Well, that's when it happened. I remember the lights fluttering and the wind spiking up. And I remember the spell that was opened. It was a mind-travel spell that allowed someone to peak into someone else's mind. I guess the Sentiment chant orientated itself on that particular spell. But don't worry, I am pretty certain that we reached the end of it. I won't be invading your head anymore."

It seemed with every word she lost Kai more. He shook his head. "But Sentiment chants only end when they served their purpose."

Bonnie smiled at him knowingly. She moved closer to Kai on the couch so that she was invading his personal space. "Trust me it did. Do you remember what you said right before you stormed off that day?"

Kai swallowed, confused by the sudden closeness. "I-I don't."

"You told me that I had no right to judge you, which by the way you were right, and you told me that I had no idea what I was talking about, that I didn't understand." There was a small break and Bonnie looked down before she continued in a whispered tone. "I understand now."

"Understand what?", he whispered back. Their heads were so close now that Bonnie felt the butterflies in her stomach going crazy.

"You.", she stated and took every ounce of courage she had to close the distance between them and place her lips firmly on his.

It was like sparks flying as she realized that this was their very first real kiss in present time. It felt to her, like his lips were even softer than in her dream. Bonnie continued to press her mouth to his, even though it seemed like Kai was frozen in some sort of shock, but she also felt that he was slowly letting himself dive in the moment of kissing her.

But then he slowly raised his hand to her shoulder, gently pushing her away. "Bonnie, we can't just-"

"Shhhh.", Bonnie interrupted him, her need to feel his lips again taking her over completely. Uncharacteristically bold, she climbed onto his lap, cupped his cheeks with her hands and pressed her mouth back to his. This time, it was more intense. She tried to deepen the kiss but Kai's resolve not to indulge in this sweet pleasure was making it hard for her. She still didn't give up and with every passing moment, Kai's resolve crumbled a little more until he finally gave in and kissed her back with passion. His hands wandered up her back to anchor her to him. The adrenaline that was rushing through her veins and her heart race made Bonnie addicted from the first second. They kept kissing passionately for what felt like an eternity. Time stood still while Bonnie indulged in this special moment. Something she had deprived herself off for too long. Again, she thought of the Sentiment chant. Of course, he had unnerved her drastically, but she knew now that part of her frustration with him came from her hidden feelings for him.

The bliss she felt now that she was finally letting herself feel was overwhelming and she never wanted to miss it again.

"I want you.", Bonnie whispered against Kai's lips before resuming to kiss him.

Something clicked in Kai's head and his kisses died out. He pushed her away from him gently before he spoke. Bonnie tried to fight him, not understanding how he wanted to be the voice of reason in this scenario.

"Bon, wait. Please. We can't.", Kai managed to get out and Bonnie finally listened to him and stopped kissing him. She was still in his lap, feeling his gentle touch on her shoulders but her heart was now feeling heavy in her chest. Did she misread the signs?

Shame and heartache flowed through her system as she climbed off his lap and placed herself next to him. She averted his gaze because she couldn't believe what she had just done, so she focused it on her hands laying in her own lap.

"Bonnie, we should talk about this.", Kai said with a gentle voice. He reached out his right arm and cupped her face. The touch exhilarated her and she automatically leaned into it, a bit puzzled why he was so affectionate with her when he had no interest in her. Slowly, he turned her head around so she would face him. She still avoided his gaze as she turned to face him.

"Bon, look at me."

She finally looked up at him and was blown away by the stormy grey eyes that were looking back at her. How had she never realized how beautiful his eyes were? His hand was still outstretched to cup her face and when his stare became too intense for her to handle, she turned her gaze to the side. That was when she noticed the long scar on Kai's forearm that reached up to the crook of his arm.

Her eyes widened and she quickly grabbed his arm, pulling it down to get a better view of the scar. It was an old scar, that was for sure, but it was still clearly visible on his arm, the same position that his arm had been broken all those years ago.

"Is that-?", Bonnie asked in a silent voice, slowly and gently dragging her thumb along the scar as if she could still hurt him.

"Yeah, your grandmother took me to the hospital after you were gone. Turned out that the fraction was way more complicated and that it needed a surgical intervention. Of course, the hospital informed my parents about it even though I begged Sheila to stop them. But she had no choice. Mom and dad came and pretended to be all concerned about my condition. They said they hadn't even noticed I ran off and that I must have fallen down a tree or something. I don't remember what happened after that, but I have this picture in my head of Sheila and my parents talking outside my room and Sheila was yelling at them. I guess she called them out on their bullshit. End of the line, I got the surgery and the scar to tell the story." Kai laughed when he finished his little anecdote but Bonnie was still baffled.

Again, Bonnie felt desperate and tears started to form in her eyes again. She looked in Kai's eyes as she spoke. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I should have done more. I should have protected you from them."

Kai grabbed Bonnie's hands and squeezed them reassuringly. "Hey, it's not your fault my parents were fucked up people. You did all you could. You helped me so much, you can't even imagine."

"How? By abandoning you when you needed me the most?", Bonnie asked sarcastically and turned her gaze away. She couldn't look in Kai's soft eyes right now. She wanted to feel miserable. She deserved it.

"No, by introducing me to Sheila.", Kai claimed and that rose Bonnie's attention again. She looked back at him, her tears finally drying up.

"Whatever you did back then, Sheila took her promise to take care of me very seriously. She visited frequently, or I spent my summer with her. She was a pain in the ass for my parents because she tried everything in her power to help me hold my ground against them. My parents were just happy that I was out of the house once in a while and I was happy to be away from them. Sheila Bennett was a life saver for me, until she literally saved my life."

Bonnie's heart warmed when she heard him talk about her grandmother in such loving ways. It seemed like he had really cared about her. But his last statement made her wonder again. "What do you mean by saving your life?"

Kai sighed and let go of her hands. "The day of May 10th. When my father found out what I did, he was furious. He called for the entire coven to gather and watch my execution. Sheila intervened and managed to strike a deal with him. Eternal punishment in the prison world instead of the death penalty. I used to be so freaking angry at her because she let me down like this. But now I get it, she did it to protect me. She had to make the spell so unique that there was no way she could have freed me herself, but she managed to send you instead."

Bonnie's head was spinning from all the information. She didn't understand what he was talking about. She understood the part about her grams protecting him by banishing him to the prison world. And she understood why her grams had send her there after the other side had collapsed. But why did Joshua want Kai's head on a spike. She was there the night before, when he was about to kill his siblings. She prevented that from happening, there was no reason for him to want his son dead. Or was there?

"Kai?", Bonnie asked in a soft tone, trying to be as sensitive as possible. "Why did your father want you dead? I was there that day. I talked you out of hurting your siblings. I don't- I don't understand."

Kai looked at her in question. His puzzled eyes searched hers for any sign that she was kidding but he didn't find any. "You don't remember?"

When Bonnie shook her head he lowered his head, not able to face her, while he explained. "On that day, when you tried to calm me down, I syphoned you. I took quite a lot of magic and I wasn't used to handle this much. When you were gone, my feelings were still all over the place, but I had it under control.", Kai spoke in a low voice. It was obvious how much it pained him to talk about this. "When I fell asleep, I dreamed about this fire. Josette woke me up and there were flames everywhere. We could only grab Liv and Luke but when I wanted to get upstairs-"

Kai had to stop because there was a lump forming inside his throat. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't have the magic under control. I tried to get them out, but I couldn't get through to them. They didn't even scream.", he whispered.

Bonnie watched him. The broken man that was sitting in front of her right now was not the man she remembered. He was heartbroken about his siblings' deaths and Bonnie was sure that he would do anything to change what happened.

She cupped his face and moved closer to him. "It wasn't your fault.", she tried to comfort him.

"Yes, it was. It was me that set the fire if I intended for it to happen or not. I deserved to rot in hell for what I wanted to do to them and for what I did and there is nothing you can say to make me feel differently about this.", he said with resolve. Then he chuckled sarcastically and ran his hand over his face.

"I told you, you can't change the past.", Kai whispered.

Yes, he indeed did. More than once. She never thought that it would turn out like this. She might have changed some things that lead up to the death of his siblings but in the end they still died. Bonnie wondered what kind of cruel universe they were living in where you couldn't even safe innocent children.

The self-loathing was visible on Kai's features and Bonnie hated that look on him. She remembered feeling horrified about his nonchalance about his siblings' deaths but how he was crumbling under the weight of being responsible for their deaths wasn't satisfying her in any way either. She scooped closer and let her fingers run through his short hair. He might have set his mind on punishing himself for what happened forever but that didn't mean she had to let him do it on his own. She knew Kai well enough to know that she wouldn't be able to change his mind within a few moments, so she went for the long way here.

At first, Kai closed his eyes and let himself delve into the feeling of comfort that Bonnie was offering but he soon pulled his head away. The feeling of rejection once again hit Bonnie and she let her hand sink in defeat. Unwillingly, tears started to form in her eyes.

"Why are you pushing me away? Did I do something wrong?", Bonnie asked defeatedly, while looking at her hands.

"What? No.", he sounded serious but the fact that he stood up and paced the room didn't bring Bonnie any relief.

"Then what is it? I thought we had something."

Kai chuckled, not about her statement but about the situation. "Bonnie, I'm not an idiot. I know you can barely stand me on a good day. I'm not a fool and believing that whatever you think you're feeling right now is going to last until next week. I can't let myself drown in this if you are going to pull out again, when you just try to get me out of your system. Not when I am feeling the way I do about you."

Bonnie felt offended and at the same time weirdly flattered by his comment. He did put her intentions about them in question, but he also confessed that he was feeling the same way as her, maybe even more. Determined to make him see her point of view, she got up from the couch and went over to him. He didn't move so she took the advantage and palmed his face in both his hands with resolve.

"Does this feel like I am only trying to get you out of my system? Can you not remember everything we went through?"

"Yes, I can and that is why I can't do this." Kai grabbed Bonnie's hands and removed them from his face. "I hurt you in so many ways and I can never take that back. I am so sorry about this, but there is no forgiveness for me for it."

"Yes, there is. It is my choice to forgive you and I do. You weren't yourself. Being alone for such a long time does things to a person. Everyone in your situation would have struggled, would have tried everything to get out. Hey, listen to me." Bonnie once more grabbed his face when he turned away from her. "I forgive you, Malachai Parker. There is nothing standing between us that will keep us from exploring what this is between us. Except you." She spoke with such affection to make him understand. The last part was only whispered. She didn't intent to do that but when she realized that taking the next step depended solely on him, she got insecure.

It was funny that their future was in his hands now because everyone always told her that it was obvious how he had a crush on her. She never wanted to hear it though and brushed them off. If she thought about their situation now, her being forward and Kai being the one holding back, it was rather paradox.

They stared at each other in silence for a long while. His eyes danced as he looked at her, completely conflicted. Bonnie understood his resolve to some degree but what she didn't understand was that he seemed to have wanted to be with her for so long. Back in her dream-visits, he basically always asked her to stay and she never could. Now that she was right there, he hesitated.

Bonnie started caressing his cheeks with her thumbs and Kai closed his eyes. Bonnie felt that he started to crumble under her gentle touch and took advantage of the moment and pressed her forehead to his, closing her eyes as well. Her nose stroked along his and their mouths were only inches apart. They were practically breathing the same air and Bonnie felt her heart start to race due to their closeness.

Her need to press her lips to his grew with every passing moment. When she retraced her left hand from his cheek and let it brush through his hair, he let her do it and hope rose inside of her. And then he lifted his hand and touched her arm that was outstretched to cup his face and she worried that he might remove her hand. But he only gently traced his fingertips over her arm, leaving goosebumps in his way. When he reached her shoulder, he finally wrapped broth his arms firmly around her waist and pulled her to him, sealing the distance between their lips as well.

Sparks were flying as they finally indulged in their feelings for each other and Bonnie got on her tiptoes for better access to his mouth. She clung to him like her life depended on it and he did the same. There was no time to breath and no need to, either. Their lips danced over each other, leaving nothing but euphoria in their wake. In this moment, Bonnie felt nothing but bliss. Forgotten were the horrors she had experienced this night, or the worries she had during all this time of radio silence from his side. Tonight, she knew, she wouldn't go back in time to see him again because she had no need for it anymore. He was right there with her, and he wouldn't go anywhere.

…..

The birds sang their usual morning songs as soon as the first sun beam hit the surface. Normally, Bonnie didn't mind it, would just turn around and stayed asleep. But this morning it was particularly annoying because they seemed to be uncharacteristically loud and because of the fact that she didn't get more than two hours of sleep this night.

Bonnie opened her heavy lids to an already bright room. Her annoyance got sparked once she realized that she wouldn't find a way to get back to sleep and she hated that. Her back also hurt form being crumbled between the backrest of her couch and someone's hard chest. When that realization hit her, her eyes darted up to Kai's still sleeping face and a smile formed on her own. He looked so peaceful while sleeping that Bonnie had to try very hard not to pinch his cheek in adoration.

Instead she just gazed, losing herself in the picture of the man she had a serious crush on lying close to her on her couch.

Last night, they had kept making out for a while and ended up on her couch. When Bonnie yawned for the second time, Kai had pulled the blanket over their entwined bodies and hugged her close. This way they had spent most of what remained of the night. Bonnie had rested her head on his chest and he had drawn designs on her arms to sooth her into sleep. They both didn't sleep right away but stayed awake for several more hours. Neither of them said anything but only enjoyed being close to each other.

For a second, Bonnie had thought that something more would happen between them as their make-out session had taken a more heated turn. But soon after, Bonnie had started yawning and Kai had wrapped the blanket over her body. She didn't regret that nothing happened between them because now they still had the opportunity to make it special. Also, they had decided that it was best if they took things slowly.

Feeling as safe as never before in Kai's strong arms, she nuzzled closer to him. Due to her movement Kai stirred and moved in his half-asleep state. Bonnie let her palm slide over his shirt to sooth him back into sleep, but it was already too late. She felt Kai's arms wrapping closer around her and heard him breath in heavily. The action sent another wave of butterflies through her body as she kept looking into Kai's still resting face.

"You know people are considering what you're doing creepy?", Kai mumbled with closed eyes.

Bonnie chuckled. "I'm not being creepy, I'm only gazing."

A second after she said that, Kai opened his eyes and looked at her. "Is that fun?"

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, then maybe I should try it, too.", Kai whispered as he kept his eyes locked on hers.

Her heart missed a few beats and then she moved even closer to him. "Yeah, you could. But there is something else you could do that might be even more fun."

"What's that?", Kai whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Kiss me.", Bonnie breathed as she half lay on his front and towered over him in such close proximity, that she would have never thought she'd be comfortable sharing with Kai.

There was a smile forming on his lips as he didn't waist a second and pulled her down into a soft kiss. Just like last night, Bonnie's entire body reacted to their joined lips as she forgot about time and space. The kiss lasted for a while and it stayed gentle the entire time. Bonnie felt so comfortable in Kai's arms that she wished this moment would never end.

But it did because Kai gently pulled away from her. He groaned. "I'm totally going to ruin this moment."

Bonnie pulled back a little to get a better look on his guilt ridden and apologetic face. "What do you mean?"

"I-", Kai started and wiggled underneath her so he could sit up. Bonnie gave him the space he needed and sat next to him. The sudden distance between them made Bonnie worry. What was he going to do? Bonnie swallowed visibly and Kai seemed to notice her unease. He reached out for her hand to comfort her.

"I need to go.", he confessed in a soft and regretful tone.

"Why?", Bonnie whispered, trying and failing to hide her disappointment and sadness. Kai crept closer to her and gently ran his fingertips over her cheek.

"I need to go to Portland. I wish there was a way to delay this, but it already took me so much effort to get Jo and Liv to agree to come with me this time. If I tell them we have to delay the trip, they'll never agree to come along!"

Bonnie looked up at his face in wonder. "Why? What are you doing in Portland?" Her worries had died as soon as he had explained his plans but there were still questions to be answered.

"I'm meeting with the Elders and I need Jo and Liv to support me on my quest to relocate the headquarters of the Coven to Virginia."

Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise of his plans. She had no idea that he was planning on doing this. When he saw her expression, he went on explaining.

"Josette and Liv both have their lives here. Even though the coven sent Liv and Luke on a mission here, they made a life for themselves. Jo and Liv have suffered enough in their lives for the coven to one day claim their return to Portland. My suggestion won't be taken lightly by many of the Elders, most of them hate me anyways, but with Liv and Jo by my side I might have a chance. Two important witches of the coven that already established a life here, and me- I didn't plan on leaving here any time soon." Kai grinned at her boyishly. "Unless you want me to."

Bonnie bit her lower lip and grinned back at him. "No, I don't want you to leave."

"Good, you won't get rid of me that easy." Kai closed the distance between them and pulled her into a passionate kiss that caused Bonnie to shiver. Just as the kiss was about to deepen, Kai pulled away and sighed.

"I really need to go, there is a plane I need to catch." He placed his forehead against hers and Bonnie reveled in the moment they shared with closed eyes.

"How long will you be gone?"

Another sigh escaped him as he pulled away from her completely and got off the couch. "I don't know yet. It will take a few days to get the majority of the Elders to agree to this and then we have to figure out a way to make the relocation happen."

Bonnie's face started to turn sad again when she realized that she might not see him for a while. The realization that there could be another separation from him just after she finally got him back, made her heart beat heavy in her chest.

Kai watched Bonnie for a moment in silence, taking in her expression. "I know this is a bad time for me to disappear, but I couldn't have known this would happen.", Kai apologized.

Bonnie was quick to shake her head. "No, I get it. It is important for you to go. Coven business comes first."

Kai went back to sit next to her on the couch, taking her hands in his. "That's not how I want to do things. I promise you, I'll set this matter in no time and then I'll be on the next flight back to Virginia. The coven might be important but not as important as you."

A strong wave of feelings rushed over her and she leaned forward to capture his lips with hers. It was only a short peck on his lips because she knew that if they kept on talking about their feelings, one thing would lead to another and Kai would totally miss his plane. And his business with the coven was important.

When Bonnie pulled away again, Kai smiled at her with dreamy eyes. "What are you doing this Friday?", he asked.

"I- nothing I guess."

"Alright, I'll take you out for dinner then." He got up from the couch and went over to put on his shoes.

Bonnie was a little confused. "But I thought you didn't know how long the negotiations would take. Are you sure you'll be free on Friday?"

"I'll make time for you. Promise." His boyish smile was back and if Bonnie didn't know him as good as she did now, she would think he was toying with her. But she knew better than that now.

Bonnie leaned back into the backrest of the couch, watching Kai get ready. Before he was about to leave, he came over to her once more, leaning onto the armrest and towering over her. "Wear something fancy, we'll go someplace special.", he whispered.

"What if I have nothing fancy to wear?", she breathed back.

"Well, you'll have a few days to figure something out. Besides,-", Kai leaned in so that his mouth was close to her ear. "- if you have nothing fancy to wear, the alternative would be for you to wear nothing at all but then we won't get out of this house."

His words sent shivers down Bonnie's spine as she hadn't expected him to be so daring about this topic. All this time, Kai had been the one being holdback-ish and only now Bonnie got a peek at his real frank behavior when it came to the two of them. The prospect of having more of this excited Bonnie more than it scared her.

Moving her head so she could look directly into his eyes, she ultimately regretted her decision as she was met with fiery eyes that dance over her face. The heat in his vision was mirrored in her own and also in places below the belt. In the heat of the moment they kissed once more, this time with more intensity as Bonnie pulled him closer to her.

She had no idea where she took her restrain from, but she managed to pull away just as far so that she could speak. Their lips still lingering close to each other. "You should go.", Bonnie breathed heavily. She felt Kai nod in agreement. He pecked her lips once more.

"I'll pick you up at 8.", he stated and then turned around and headed towards the front door. Before he was completely gone, Bonnie made him stop once more.

"Call me when you get there?", she asked. Kai turned to look at her once more, a smug smile on his lips.

"Promise." He winked and then turned around. Bonnie only heard the door close and she knew she was alone now. With a high-pitched cry she let herself fall on her back, her hand pressed over her mouth and her breathing going rapidly.

She felt like a 14-year-old girl that had her first crush. The lingering feeling of his lips on hers and the alluring words he whispered in her ears made her feel like she was flowing. She closed her eyes and whished for the time to pass faster so that she could see him again.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Time didn't pass faster at all. Bonnie had trouble keeping herself busy so that she wouldn't think about Kai too often. She tried spending as much time with Caroline and Elena as possible. But her two best friends had their own hands full with the men they loved and Bonnie wouldn't expect them to be with her 24/7.

Every evening, Kai called her to give her an update about the negotiations and to "hear her voice", as he put it. Though Bonnie would rather only listen to his voice talking, she managed to get out a few words about her day as well. Kai suggested that they could face time so that he could see Bonnie, but Bonnie told him that she didn't think it would be a good idea. Seeing him and not being able to be with him in person would only make things harder for her. He only sighed but understood.

Bonnie and Kai had agreed to keep what happened between them for now. They both had no idea what exactly happened and what it would lead to and thought it would be a good thing finding out what they wanted before telling anybody. Before meeting Elena and Caroline for the first time after her little sleepover with Kai, Bonnie was so nervous that her oldest friends would totally see right through her. If Caroline would start her interrogation Bonnie would surely crumble and spill the beans and she had promised Kai not to tell anyone. But surprisingly, Elena and Caroline's minds had been elsewhere, and Bonnie didn't blame them. Both having to deal with the fact that their boyfriends wanted to turn from vampire to human or already made the transformation, was a lot to deal with, and frankly, Bonnie was grateful for the distraction of her friends. They would find out about what happened between her and Kai soon enough.

After what felt like an eternity, Friday finally came around. Kai had promised to be there in the evening and pick her up for their date, but Bonnie knew that it would be very stressful for him to come to Mystic Falls for the weekend. He would most likely come to her straight from the airport and Bonnie told herself that she needed to keep that in the back of her mind.

A few days ago, she had tended to her wardrobe to find something fancy to wear. Even though Bonnie had begged him to tell her where they were going, Kai had kept his secret to himself. Thus, Bonnie had no idea how 'fancy' fancy really was. In frustration over not having anything decent to wear she called Caroline and dragged her out to go shopping. The official reason for the shopping trip was the next founders party the girls were invited to and Caroline had taken the bait. Together they had found this beautiful dark green dress that ended right over her knee and swirled around her figure perfectly. She decided not to do anything special with her short hair, as she knew that Kai liked them like this. But she took the time she had gained from not doing her hair and used it for a fancy smoky-eye make-up. When she was done, it was 7:45h and Bonnie wanted to take a selfie of herself and sent it to her friends to show them what she did. But then she would have to explain why she dressed up like that and that would mean she would have to tell them about her evening plans. No, she would need to keep her look to herself this time.

Bonnie went downstairs to get everything she needed for the evening. When she went into the kitchen to get her phone, she heard the doorbell go off. Her heart jumped as she rushed to the door. Before she opened it ,she checked her reflection in the mirror. He was a little early and she was glad that she had started getting ready early. A deep breath filled her lungs as she opened the door.

Kai stood on her porch smiling brightly at her but when her full appearance came into light, his grin dropped and he looked at her awestruck, his mouth dropping a little. Bonnie bit her lower lip as she felt his gaze go up and down her entire body. Shivers appeared along her arm as she watched him stare at her.

"Wow.", was the only thing Kai could get about after a few moments of silence. "You can really pull of looking fancy."

"You told me to dress up, so I did." Bonnie snickered as she finally took in his looks. He was wearing dark suit pants that were presenting his ass in the proper light, combined with a dark blue chemise with the last two buttons left undone. A dark jacket was placed over his left arm as it was still pretty warm outside and Kai didn't need it. His hair looked a little ruffled but on purpose and it gave his grown up look a boyish touch, which was nice since the boyish version was the one Bonnie had fallen for.

"You look quite good yourself.", Bonnie complimented him and when she saw the appreciation in Kai's eyes, she couldn't help but tease him by adding "for a man your age."

Kai opened his mouth in fake-hurt, his eyes glowing with mischief though. It still was their thing, the teasing, the joking and playing around and Kai seemed to be in the mood to play along.

"Be careful young Ms. Bennett or else I am going to ground you for being so disrespectful of the older population."

"You have no authority to do that, Mr. Parker.", Bonnie replied as she slowly took a few steps backwards, thus avoiding Kai who had taken a few steps towards her, a smug grin on his face.

"Oh no? I think I do.", he replied as he finally stopped and casually leaned against the doorframe. He was only inches away from Bonnie's face now and was looking down in her eyes with affection. The look sent another wave of shivers down Bonnie's arms and spine and her gut turned warm once more. His close proximity made her able to take in his sent. He smelled so good. Suddenly, she felt every single drop of how much she missed him during this awfully long week and the relieve of finally seeing him again almost made her shriek in excitement.

She didn't though, instead she continued their intense staring contest. With every second that passed both their breathing got heavier and their eyes turned more wanting. Bonnie had no idea if any of it was appropriate as they had agreed on taking things slow but the feeling that was emerging from her gut and spreading warmly all across her body was anything but taking it slowly. The cocktail of emotions and hormones finally got the better of her when the longing for him got too strong and she grabbed Kai's collar and pulled him in for a hard kiss.

Kai instantly reciprocated the kiss and even wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer into his hard chest. Bonnie's hands wandered from his collar to the side of his neck, her thumbs slowly caressing his jaw. The kiss was both tender and demanding since they both had to deal with incredible longing for the other. Too soon for her liking, they pulled apart though.

"I missed you.", Bonnie whispered against his still lingering lips and felt them turn up in a smile.

"Yeah? That's good, because I missed you, too."

Their lips met again but this time way gentler then before. Kai seemed to be the more reasonable part right now, because after a while he pulled away from her and said, "we should get going. Are you ready?"

Bonnie nodded. "Let me get my stuff."

With that she turned around and walked back inside her house, leaving him behind in her door frame. She was still lightheaded from the kiss, so she had trouble focusing her thoughts on what to do. It took her a minute to remember where she had left her purse but then she quickly grabbed it, took a coat with her on her way back to Kai and closed the door shut behind her.

"Are you finally going to tell me where we're going?", Bonnie asked when she took Kai's outstretched hand into her and followed him down the few steps from her porch to her front yard.

"Nope." Kai popped the p as he directed her to his car and opened the passenger side door like the gentleman, she knows he is not. Kai leaned his arms on the opened door and tilted his head as Bonnie hesitated to get inside, debating whether she should keep pushing for information. He had this adorable look on his face right then, that she forgot what she was going to say and just got inside the car.

Kai closed the door once she was settled in and went over to the driver side. The car was brand new and smelled like leather and industrial cleaning, but there was a hint of Kai's cologne lingering in the air and Bonnie instantly liked it.

"Buckle up, Missy. I don't want you to get hurt before we get to our destination. I am not known for my moderate driving skills.", Kai warned her as he turned the engine on.

Bonnie listened to his advice as she imagined him speeding along the highway with 110 mph back in the prison world, not caring if he lost control of his vehicle or bumped into another car with full speed since he couldn't permanently die in his world.

As she imagined, Kai went slightly over the speed limit when they headed to the- for her unknown- destination. She was sure he would normally go even faster, since his Audi was pretty much build for more, but out of respect for her he tried to be a little less of an adrenaline junky.

Bonnie settled into the comfortable seats, but their ride ended faster than she had anticipated. Kai stopped the car at a large parking lot on the other end of Mystic Falls. Bonnie instantly recognized this place as she had been here with her grandmother a lot when she was a kid. Her eyes started to sparkle as she rushed to get out of the vehicle and look at the building in front of her.

"Are you taking me to the variety?", Bonnie asked as Kai moved to stand next to her.

"Cracked it, Sherlock." Kai smiled as he watched the happy expression on her face. "I thought you might like it."

"Like it? I love it. I always used to come here with grams.", Bonnie explained as they walked towards the entrance. A flood of memories about her and her grandmother at this place rushed though Bonnie's mind in super speed. She remembered the acrobat shows she used to find so compelling, or the singers that hypnotized her with their voices. Once there was even a clown-show, that Bonnie didn't enjoy too much because she didn't really like clowns but every time she was here, she had left with a smile on her face.

Kai and Bonnie entered the place and someone tended to their coats. Kai talked to a waiter and he showed them to their seats. The view of the stage was amazing and Bonnie felts like she was a kid again when she wondered what show she would be seeing tonight, while sitting down across from Kai.

"You know, I am really sorry that Sheila is gone. I was very sad to hear about her passing. I wish I could have spoken with her once again. To thank her for everything she has done for me.", Kai's sad voice reached her and made her head turn to him.

A light pinch in her chest indicated her own sorrow about her grandmother's passing, but for her it had been years now. Kai had only known about this for a few weeks and given that they had been so close, she understood what he was feeling right now, so she reached out her hand to squeeze his. Kai looked up at her and smiled sadly.

"I am sure that Grams knew how thankful you are.", Bonnie reassured him.

"Maybe. I would still like to make sure she knows for sure. But there is no chance now. Also, I would really like to know what she would have thought about this." Kai pointed between the two of them with a grin and Bonnie had to laugh.

"I am more than certain she would approve."

Kai looked at her doubtfully. "How?"

"Two reasons.", Bonnie claimed and leaned forward. "First, the day I introduced you to grams, she didn't know who I was. She felt that we were family when I touched her, but she couldn't place me. How could she when I wasn't even born back then. Anyways, she saw the way I was interacting with you. Even when you were just a kid, she saw the connection we had was special and she even called me out on it, saying that we seemed pretty close. Later, she must have realized it was me back then. As you know, Grams wasn't exactly an idiot so I think she could put two and two together and figured out that I must have known you, your older you. Which brings me to my second point: if she disapproved of our connection then, she would have never sent me to your prison world in the first place."

Kai looked at her startled, obviously hearing some news. "Why exactly did she do that?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I was the anchor to the other side when it collapsed, taking me down with it. Grams made sure I wasn't going to vanish with it and sent me to your prison world. She told me she made sure I'd find my peace."

Kai chuckled. "Well, peace isn't exactly what you found in there. You only found me." He looked away from her and at the stage, where a few people were placing some safety nets for the show later.

"I don't know, seems like those two are the same thing.", Bonnie whispered and Kai's head turned back to her to look at her with wide eyes. Her confession was probably something he hadn't expected, not from her or anybody since he never experienced this kind of affection in his life before. Bonnie smiled at him lovingly to underline her previous statement.

Just when Kai was about to say something, a waitress interrupted their moment, asking them for their order. They ordered wine and steak and watched the waitress leave soon after, but their moment was over. Bonnie decided to direct their conversation back to a safer place and asked Kai about the show that was being shown tonight.

Kai was gladly taking the lifeline she was offering him and told her about the artistic group that was showing off their trapeze and high wire talents. Bonnie was exited to hear that because she always liked the artistic shows the most. She wondered how he had gotten the tickets for the show because this place was usually sold out weeks before their shows and Kai only asked Bonnie to go on this date a few days ago. Judging from the amount of people sitting in the huge room, she didn't imagine there had been any tickets left to be sold, especially with such good view. Bonnie had the slight feeling that Kai might have used his unique abilities to unorthodoxly obtain these tickets for tonight, but she kept her suspicions to herself, only being glad to be spending time with him. Later she would find out, that he had indeed used his magic to confuse another couple into giving away their tickets for a way too low price, but she wouldn't be mad about it either.

When their food arrived, they had already drunk half the bottle of wine. Bonnie felt a little tipsy to be honest, the lack of a good food foundation making itself known. She giggled like a little girl about everything Kai said, though she wasn't sure that was because of her lightheadedness or the fact that she was so smitten with him. Shortly after they were done eating, the show started and Bonnie was enthusiastically following the acrobats as they showed them their spectacular artistic moves.

When it was over, Bonnie jumped up in excitement and gave them a standing ovation. A few others joined her but most of the people remained seated and settled in showing their content. Kai was watching Bonnie's childlike excitement with joy and a smirk on his face.

When Bonnie finally sat back down, he grinned at her. "What? I thought they were amazing."

Kai chuckled. "I agree. I just think you look adorable when you're enthusiastic like this."

Bonnie bit her lower lip, her cheeks starting to heat from the compliment.

"Maybe one day you'll cheer for me just as much.", Kai started teasing her, but Bonnie didn't feel like succumbing to his mischievous ways tonight.

"Depends. Do you have any talents worth cheering for?", she teased right back.

"Actually," Kai raised from his chair and placed himself in the seat closer to Bonnie. "I excel in palm reading."

Bonnie snickered. "Palm reading? Like those creepy old ladies that travel along the carnival?"

"Hey, don't make fun of it. This is serious business.", Kai chuckled. "Besides, most of those ladies are charlatans. But a real witch can actually make some pretty good predictions. It's the natural instincts of witches that helps interpret the signs in the right way. It was the one form of magic that I could do even without siphoning anyone."

Bonnie had heart about witches selling their forecasting abilities to others but she had thought that it was a unique skill that only a few witches possessed. Even though she had experienced her own fair share of psychic premonitions, she had never really thought about being able to predict anything in the palm of someone else.

"Prove it." Bonnie offered Kai her left palm. "Predict something for me."

"You sure you want to? You might not like what you'll learn."

Bonnie leaned closer to him, basically pushing her palm into his hand. "I'll take my chances."

Kai looked at her once more before he gently picked up her hand. Her hand tickled where his fingers brushed against her skin, making her shudder a little. Her breath caught up when Kai started to draw a line on her palm with his finger before he spoke in a low and soft tone.

"You know, you actually have to learn this art from someone who really knows the tricks. There are so many fake ways out there, that is easy to get confused, but luckily my grandmother had an affinity for palm reading and back in the day, when I was still a kid without any magical abilities, she decided to teach me. The most important rule in in the art of palm reading is knowing what you're looking at. Most people misinterpret this lines on your hand for some ultimate truth about your life, like how rich you're gonna get or how old you will be.", Kai kept tracing the lines on Bonnie's hand while explaining, his gaze was stuck to her palm the entire time he talked. Bonnie was fascinated by the feeling of it and his words, so she kept silent to not interrupt him.

"You really can't make any assumptions about a person's entire life by palm reading. It's not that precise. You can only see what lies ahead of that person, like in the immediate future. Sometimes when there is something happening in the life of the person that is extraordinary and effects his entire life, you can see it there, though. Like, when someone would find the cure to cancer, a skilled palm reader could find traces of his important work right here.", Kai circles a small space right underneath her pinkie and Bonnie wants to close her eyes from the sensation but doesn't. "You wouldn't know exactly what the extraordinary thing is that would happen, but you'd see that his life would impact a lot of other people positively."

"And what do you see in my hand, then?", Bonnie breathes, totally affected by him.

Kai stopped his fingers for a moment and looks up to her. "I'm afraid I have to tell you that you won't be the one finally finding a way to fight the most evil disease in modern times, sorry Bon."

Bonnie laughed out loud when she heard his comment. "Oh no, what will I do with my half-written dissertation now? I thought I was on the right track."

"Told ya, you might not like what you'll learn.", Kai looked up at her and grinned widely, enjoying their moment of fun. Then he looked back at her palm and concentrated once more. "I can see that you have been taking some risks lately and that these risks are going to pay out soon, reassuring you that you made the right decision."

Bonnie took her hand out of his grip and snorted disdainfully. "How vague.", she mocked him.

Kai leaned back in his seat and took another sip of his wine. "Never said it would be precise."

Bonnie grinned and shook her head in mock-disappointment. He might think that his reading was vague, but she was pretty sure she knew what it meant. The risks he had been talking about, she was sure that it was Kai. She had taken a rather big risk in letting herself feel for the syphon and if the reading was accurate, she won't live to regret it.

"Okay, it's my turn. Give me your hand.", Bonnie said and turned to him once more.

Kai raised an eyebrow. "You don't even know how to do this, do you?"

"Can't be that hard. I'm just going to trust my witch instincts. Come on, this will be fun." Bonnie urged him to reach his hand over to her and with a knowing grin on his face he did.

When Bonnie looked into his palm, she saw nothing but skin and lines that didn't tell her anything. But she didn't expect them to. She only wanted to mock him and so she started rambling nonsense. "Oh, I see. Very interesting."

"What?", Kai played along.

"Well, I can read a lot of interesting things in your palm, my friend. I don't know if I should tell you all of this, because this might change the course of your life.", Bonnie overdramatized.

"Oh please, do tell. I am dying to know about my future."

"Hm, okay. Let me see what I can tell you without risking anything. Oh, look. This one's good. In the future, you're going to meet some important woman, like Beyonce-important, and you will always tell the story about how you managed to pressure her into taking a photo with you, which results in a restraining order against you. But you don't mind because you have a photo of yourself and that woman, the most beautiful woman you've ever seen." Bonnie lets go of his hand and smiles brightly at Kai, happy with her imaginary story. Kai looked at her with a strange look and Bonnie suddenly got insecure if he didn't find this fooling around as funny as her. Maybe she hurt his feelings or something.

When he finally spoke, she was relieved when his voice was playful. "That's not true."

Bonnie grinned. "How can you doubt me? It's not my fault if you don't like what's in the cards for you. The palm doesn't lie.", Bonnie chuckled and Kai smiled at her.

"No, you're lying.", he insisted.

"No.", Bonnie leaned forward in her seat, getting closer to his face.

"Yes, you are. Wanna know how I know?" Kai mirrored her posture, only being inches away from her face now. Her heartbeat was starting to pick up from the close proximity. She nodded her head and Kai smiled weakly, looking at her lips before looking back into her eyes. "I know you're lying because the most beautiful woman I will ever see is sitting right in front of me."

Bonnie blinks a few times, trying to make sense of his confession. Her heart feels like it wants to jump out of her chest and dance on the table between them. She kept her gaze steady at his eyes as the impact of his statement hits her full front. She starts to breathe heavily as she sees the longing and affection in Kai's eyes. His eyes dance over her face as she too seems to be dealing with a surge of emotions. Bonnie's chest tightens and she feels drawn to him. She wants to be close to him, wants to sit on his lap and hug him tight, kiss him. Feel his hands on her skin, his lips on her neck. The images that pop into her head make her aroused and a throbbing in the lower parts of her body starts to become more present.

For a long moment, the two stared at each other in affection and lust. Neither of them was willing to let this moment pass but Bonnie was also too afraid to vocalize her wants for the fear that she might take things too far too fast. That is why she was taken aback when Kai speaks in a low tone.

"Wanna get out of here?"

Blood was rushing to her brain, making it hard for her to think. The second she realized what he had asked her, all the blood vanished from her brain and gather somewhere more private. The throbbing became nearly unbearable and she had to fight the urge to reach out and start making out with Kai right here right now. The fear of rushing things gets pushed back into the corner of her brain, making room for sexier thoughts. Her breathing has stopped completely until she makes her final decision. With one word she lets out all the stored-up air that was left in her lungs.

"Absolutely."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Kai turned the keys to his apartment around and opened the door for Bonnie to enter. The excitement of being in Kai's home was giving Bonnie another rush.

They had decided to go to Kai's place since it was closer to the variety and Bonnie was dying to see where he lived. She had never thought about it before tonight. When she stepped inside the apartment, she was greeted by something she wouldn't have imagined to find in Kai's home. Flowers. Flowers all over the place.

"Do you run a flower shop up here?", Bonnie teased as she walked over to the living room table to smell the beautiful roses placed in a vase.

"It's not my fault. The old lady that own this house keeps giving me flowers. I think she intents for them to be passed along to a girl of my liking. She keeps saying that young people like me shouldn't be alone. I think if she weren't so old, she could actually be a good wing-woman.", Kai chuckled as he saw Bonnie's expression. It was a ridiculous story, but she knew the old lady that lived right underneath him and she could imagine her doing this.

"Then why haven't you done like she wanted you to?", Bonnie asked while turning her attention back to the roses on the table.

"Maybe-" Bonnie heard Kai's slow footsteps coming closer to her and her heart started racing once more. "-because I think it is none of her business if I am alone or not. Maybe, because big romantic gestures like this aren't my thing. Or maybe-" Kai had now reached Bonnie, standing right behind her but not touching her in any way. "-maybe I was too insecure about how the girl of my liking would have liked it if I send her hundreds of flowers.", Kai breathed into her neck.

Bonnie closed her eyes as she felt his body so close to hers. "Maybe-", she breathed out in a hushed tone. "the girl of your liking would have appreciated it." With that Bonnie turned around in one swift move and crashed her lips onto his. Kai's lips were ready for her as he instantly kissed her back, wrapping his strong arms around her petit waist. Bonnie's arms went around his neck instantly as their passionate kiss demanded her to.

Kai opened her mouth and entered it with his tongue, starting a passionate fight between their tongues that no one seemed to be wanting to win. Her throbbing core reawakened with doubled force and she nearly jumped him. Kai seemed just as affected by her as she was by him and within a few moments, he reached for her thighs underneath her butt and pulled her up into his arms. Bonnie instantly wrapped her legs around Kai's waist, making the hem of her dress scoot up so that it barely covered her ass.

Kai started carrying Bonnie into the room across the hall, never letting go of her mouth. He gently lay her down on the king size bed, nuzzling his nose along her cheek. The gesture was both sweet and wanting at the same time and Bonnie enjoyed the feeling it send to her core. Still, she missed the taste of his lips on hers far too fast and tugged his head back up so she could rejoin their mouths.

A muffled moan escaped her when they did and she felt Kai's smile against her lips. They kept kissing fiercely, while she was pressed into the mattress and Kai towered over her, stabilizing his body on his outstretched arms. Bonnie realized that Kai might be kissing her, but he made sure that he wasn't touching her in any other way. The thought lingered on Bonnie's hooded mind as she decided to test her theory and curved her body up so she would collide with his. Just as she thought, Kai moved away just a slight inch but successfully avoided her. There was a moment when Bonnie felt confusion, anger and longing all at once at his action but then she understood.

They have been through so much together and the change in their relationship was only recent. The back and forth between them must have confused him and the fact that they actually agreed on taking it slow would only add to his confusion. He didn't want to make a mistake by taking things too far too fast and thus anger her. Though, she wouldn't be angry with him, on the contrary, she wanted him to touch her. Bonnie finally knew what she had to do.

With a gentle push, she separated herself from him and reached out her hands to cup his face, that was lingering close to hers. She adjusted it, so she could have a clear view of his eyes. She needed him to see her certainty when she spoke the next words. "Touch me."

Kai's eyes danced over her face and she could see his hesitation. "Bon-", Kai began to say but Bonnie wouldn't listen. She pressed her mouth back onto his and shut him up effectively. She kept kissing him with intensity as her hands roamed over his shoulders and arms.

"Touch me.", Bonnie breathed onto his lips and let her hands wander towards the buttons of his shirt, starting to undo them.

She half expected him to stop her moving hands as she undid button after button, but he remained in a state of apathy for a few moments, obviously debating on what to do. Meanwhile, Bonnie's mouth made its way down Kai's neck as her hands kept up their work. She left little bitemarks on her way to underline her intent. She understood his restraint. He had caused harm on her with the same hands that she now wanted to have all over her. He had waited for her explicit permission to go further and she had given it to him. So what was he waiting for?

That question ran through Bonnie's mind by the time she had undone the last of his shirt's buttons and was now sliding her hands around his torso, scratching the skin on his back. It seemed like this was the moment Kai finally decided to follow her lead because he pushed her back into the mattress by her shoulders and began sucking on her neck. Finally, finally his hands started to grip her waist and wander up along the side of her body.

"Yes.", Bonnie sighed in relieve and arousal when Kai straddled her legs a little, so he could crawl in between them.

Kai groaned against her neck, as he was busy feasting on it. Kai suddenly reclaimed her mouth with his in a mind-shattering way and grabbed one of Bonnie's legs in the knee bend and let his hand wander along her thigh up until the hem of her dress.

Her mind was overthrowing itself with the sensation of feeling his hands so near to her crotch and she wiggled a little in his hold. Then she set up on her elbows to be closer to him, still not letting go of his lips. She let her hands roam over his shoulders and started to separate the fabric from his shoulders. Kai let go of her leg to help her get rid of his shirt before he went back to examining her leg.

Bonnie managed to open her eyes to take in the beautiful sight of his shirtless body and boy, was it a nice body. She had never realized how athletic he was until this very moment and another heat wave hit her boy. She needed to lose her clothes, like fast.

Luckily, Kai seemed to think the same as he pulled her up, so she was practically sitting on his lap. She could feel his erection against her thigh and ultimately felt herself getting wetter. Kai's hands went around her body and roamed her back in search of the zipper to her dress. When he found it, he instantly unzipped it and lost no time in gripping the hem of the skirt and pulling it up over her head, leaving Bonnie in nothing but her underwear.

For a moment, the two only looked each other in the eyes in awe before Kai picked her up by the waist. Bonnie instantly wrapped her legs around his waist, as Kai moved both of them further up his bed and when he put her down again, Bonnie felt the softness of pillows underneath her head. Kai started kissing her neck again for a brief moment before he went lower. Her collar bones, her chest, her stomach, her naval. Wherever his lips touched her, he left a burning sensation.

It was sweet torture, as Bonnie closed her eyes and reveled in the moment, tilting her head back and lifting her back of the mattress. Soft moans escaped her as she gripped the blanket beneath her in order not to jump him, pull down his pants and have her way with him. She wanted to drag this out as much as she could because she wanted it to be special. A new beginning for them.

Kai kissed his way back up and his hands roamed over her stomach and chest. Bonnie breathed heavily as his hand caressed the small curve where her breasts were still covered by her bra. To give him the sign that she wanted him to get rid of it, she raised her upper body again and he quickly unclasped her bra, pulling it away from her breasts.

A content hum escaped his vocals, as he lustfully took in the sight of her bare chest. If Bonnie wasn't too hot headed right now, she might have blushed from the way he appreciated her body but right now, his look only added to her already high horniness.

When Kai went down and took one of her nipples into his mouth to suck on it, Bonnie let out a deep sigh. Her hands found the back of his head and she let her fingers run through his short hair. When Kai palmed Bonnie's other breast, another moan escaped her, this time considerably louder.

After a while, Kai reclaimed Bonnie's mouth with his while still pinching her nipple in between his thumb and index finger. Both her nipples were extremely stiff and sensitive to any kind of touch. When Kai kissed her again, Bonnie wanted to level the playing field more and started undoing Kai's pants. With a little help from Kai, his pants were gone in no time and Bonnie was now able to see the considerable boner lingering underneath the thin fabric of his boxers. She felt euphoric, when she imagined the turnout of their actions. She was so ready.

Suddenly, a loud gasp escaped her when she felt Kai's hand wander underneath the hem of her panties and graze the bundle of nerves between her thighs. He started stroking her clit and Bonnie felt herself lean into his touch. Every rational thought had finally left her mind and she started to breathe heavily until Kai captured her lips again. He hummed in content as he felt how wet she already was.

Even though the sensation of his touch was really intense, Bonnie wished to get to the real stuff. She arched her pelvis up into his touch, rubbing herself against his hand. She moaned and wished for him to slide some fingers into her core, but he only kept teasing her with them.

"Kai-", Bonnie moaned against his lips but he only shushed her.

"Patience.", he demanded softly but in the next moment, he started pulling her panties down. The cool air felt refreshing at her wet opening and she shivered shortly.

"Are you okay?", Kai's concerned voice reached her through her hooded state. He suddenly reappeared in her focus, looking at her with equally concerned eyes. Bonnie smiled as she reached out one hand and stroked his cheek. He was so cute when he was worried about her.

"Yes, I am more than okay.", she smiled at him reassuringly, pulling him down into a kiss. The butterflies roaming around in her stomach were making themselves known again and her chest felt like it was going to burst. At that moment, the lust she had been experiencing the last few moments, mixed with feelings stronger than Bonnie had anticipated. The need for Kai became almost unbearable and so her hands slipped inside his boxers like they were on autopilot.

A deep groan reached Bonnie's ear as her hand reached its destination and she kept rubbing down on Kai's shaft. His erotic sounds made Bonnie go crazy. She wouldn't be able to keep this game up much longer but luckily, Kai seemed to have lost his self-control too because he helped Bonnie get rid of his boxers. While all of this played out, they never let go of each other's lips.

Bonnie reclaimed the grip on Kai's penis and broad him to her opening. The tip of his penis was now teasing her entrance and Bonnie breathed heavily. She locked her gaze with Kai's and was hit by a wave of warmth. Ocean blue eyes kept staring back at her, eyes that used to be devoid of any trace of emotion now looked at her like she was the most precious thing they ever saw. Right when their lips crashed back onto each other, Bonnie was finally granted mercy and Kai entered her in one swift move.

They both moaned in unison against each other's lips as Kai stilled his movement so that Bonnie could adjust to his length. After a few seconds, Kai started moving his hips slowly and Bonnie's eyes shut close form the sensation. It felt like his penis was carved to be the perfect fit for Bonnie's uterus. That was why even the first stroke sent goosebumps all over Bonnie's body and let her feel the euphoria of sexual intercourse. Without a conscious thought, Bonnie wrapped her legs around Kai's waist, to take him in even deeper.

Bonnie let her hands roam through his hair, while he was moving inside her and kissing her. She felt his hands brush over her skin over her hips all the way down to her thighs. Something about this made her feel worshiped and the thought crossed her mind, that Jeremy had never been able to make her feel so special.

With every gentle stroke, their breathing picked up and moans could be heart all over the apartment. Kai whispered her name and she felt a shiver go down her spine. She loved the way her name sounded on his lustful lips. The pressure that rose inside her core became more demanding by the second. The pace they were going was slow but intense- a sweet torture. But Bonnie never wished for it to end.

She felt a familiar feeling deep inside her, making her aware of the fact that she was about to find release. She bit Kai's lip in order to have enough time to get her words out.

"I'm close.", she breathed heavily and hat to fight back the start of her orgasm.

"Hold on just a while longer.", Kai asked her and Bonnie pressed her eyes closed, for holding back a scream was getting harder by the second. Moans turned into grunts as she kept biting her own lips and Kai plunged into her repeatedly.

Kai's lips traveled to her ear and he whispered hoarsely in it. "Let go."

The second he spoke his words, Bonnie was already letting out everything she held back the last few moments. She yelled his name in euphoria as they rode out their combined orgasm.

**Author's note: I know, this is a short chapter, but I just wanted to give you something. I promise there is more to come soon. **


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The combination of the morning sun and the twittering birds outside woke Bonnie up long before she had gotten her fill of sleep. She felt a little disorientated when she first opened her eyes and didn't instantly recognize the room she was staying in. Then it hit her with full force.

Carefully, Bonnie turned around and looked in the angelic face of a sleeping Kai Parker. When she remembered all they did last night, she bit her lip to stop herself from giggling like a school girl.

After they had first climaxed together, they had stayed in each other's arms for a long while without saying anything. Kai was watching her with absolute awe and Bonnie had to hide her face in his shirtless chest because she couldn't bare him looking at her like she was such a precious thing. He had pulled her up to look at her but when she made it hard for him, he started tickling her and Bonnie wound in his embrace, laughing uncontrollably. When he finally showed mercy and stopped with his torture, he captured her lips again.

Bonnie had been on her back and Kai was leaning over her, looking down at her.

"You have no idea how long I wanted to do this.", Kai had confessed.

"What do you mean? You've been the one running away from me the past few weeks. Don't complain to me now.", Bonnie had joked but Kai had turned serious.

"I'm not talking about a few weeks. You have no idea how long I have had this crush on you. Ever since I first saw you, I was maybe 6, I fell head over heels for you. I mean, you can't compare the feelings of a kid to anything like affection, but the feeling only grew the older I got. At a certain age, it got really hard to not kiss you, but then you took that step for me." He had nuzzled his nose against her cheek playfully, but Bonnie had been awestruck by his confession.

"You mean, you had a crush on me since the first time you saw me?"

Their intense gazes had met and Kai had to swallow visibly. He could only nod.

"Is that creepy?", he had finally managed to say.

Bonnie had reached out for his face and stroked it lovingly. "No, it's romantic."

Pulling him down into a passionate kiss had let to another round of sex, and that led to yet another, hence her fatigue.

When she remembered that scene in her head, she smiled like a lovesick puppy. Bonnie moved closer to the sleeping figure next to her and gazed at him. She wished nothing more than to wake him up and cuddle close to him but she knew how she herself was feeling without enough sleep, she didn't want him feeling the same. That was why she decided to let him sleep and take the opportunity and roam around in his apartment.

Last night, they hadn't gotten to the part where he gave her the tour, so Bonnie was curious about how he lived. Slowly, she crawled out of bed and looked around his bedroom. Now, in the morning sun she could take everything in.

Kai seemed to be a minimalistic person. There wasn't much decoration, but the place was extraordinarily tidy. The only thing out of place were their clothes that were still lying on the ground. Bonnie passed by her dress and thought about the fact that she will have to put it back on later. Then her eyes fell on a pile of neatly folded shirts and she went over to the dresser and looked at the shirt on top of the pile.

It was a black Nirvana shirt. Bonnie picked it up and smelled it. It was freshly washed and smelled of a weird combination of washing powder, flowers and Kai's unique sent. Without hesitation, Bonnie pulled the shirt over her naked form. Since she was such a small person, Kai's shirt reached shortly over her ass. On her tiptoes, Bonnie went over to the door and slipped out the room.

The quietness in the apartment in the morning was wonderful for Bonnie. She was such a small town girl, that she hated loud surroundings and Kai's place seemed to be in one of those silent corners of Mystic Falls.

Bonnie first made her way into the kitchen. Not because she wanted to see it the most, but because she was thirsty and needed a glass of water. The kitchen was bright and unlike the rest of the apartment, there were gadgets and tools spread all across it. It was clear, that Kai liked spending time in this room since everything Bonnie could see was very fancy and high-quality. The tips of her fingers tingled when she imagined herself cooking in his kitchen, using his amazing tools. As Bonnie searched the cabinets for a glass, she realized that Kai was very organized. Everything inside the counters was neatly positioned. Bonnie tried to imagine her own kitchen and realized that Kai would probably freak out once he saw the mess she made over the years.

Absentmindedly, Bonnie poured herself a glass of water and took a sip. She turned around to the door and nearly dropped the glass as she was startled by a male figure leaning in the doorframe and watching her.

"Oh, my god. You scared me.", Bonnie let out breathlessly. Kai only smiled at her wickedly.

"Did I walk into something I wasn't supposed to see?", he teased her and she wanted to roll her eyes on him but she couldn't take her eyes off his muscular body. Unlike her, Kai hadn't bothered to put on any clothes. He was leaning against the doorframe with a light stubble on his face, tousled hair, a smug smile and most of all stark naked. Bonnie gulped visibly, which didn't go unnoticed by him.

"Is that my shirt?", Kai asked as he took a step into the room.

Bonnie bit her lip. "Could be. You mind?"

He had reached her, wrapping his arms around her slender form and breathing in her sent. "Actually, I am offended.", he breathes into her neck and Bonnie tensed. "Why does it look so much hotter on you then it does on me?", he added, making Bonnie relax once more.

"That's probably because I am so much hotter than you are.", Bonnie teased back and finally managed to look straight into his playful eyes, her own equally glowing with mischief. Kai fake-pouted at her words.

"Ouch."

Bonnie giggled, as the situation was way too crazy to be taken seriously. Him, embracing her half-clothed body with his own naked one, after a night of passion and love, fooling around like horny teenagers. Unfortunately, only the sight of him had already affected her and his closeness was now starting to make her wet again.

"But I have to admit,-", Bonnie added with a hooded gaze. "You really can pull of this look your sporting right now."

Kai pulled away slightly as if he wanted to give her a better view of his muscles. "Yeah? Do you like my style today?"

"You could say that.", Bonnie whispered, increasingly aroused. Kai on the other hand, seemed very much unaffected by the situation.

"Well, maybe I should think about wearing it more often.", Kai breathed into her ear and Bonnie closed her eyes briefly.

"Maybe you should.", she admitted and automatically moan when she finally felt his tongue glide down her neck.

"Now that we are exchanging fashion advise, you wanna know what my favorite look on you is?", he asked between putting soft kisses along her neck. Bonnie was unable to form coherent words just now, so she only moaned a yes.

"When you wear nothing at all.", Kai whispered and in one swift move, pulled the shirt over Bonnie's head. The now naked woman, couldn't do anything but raise her arms to make it easier for him to get rid of the fabric. Then she felt him grab her by the thighs and pulling her up, so that she was sitting on the counter.

They were kissing fiercely now and Kai's arms roamed all over her body. Bonnie's rested against his shoulders as she scooted closer to the edge of the counter, to welcome his already considerable boner. It was astonishing how wet she could still become after the night they had spent together. But when Kai entered her, she understood why her body was anticipating him so much.

Kai didn't even have to do much to make her lose control. It was so intoxicating having him inside her that she wanted to cry out after the first plunge. Kai filled her like no one else could, she was sure of that. Even though her sexual experience was limited to Jeremy, she already knew that no one else could make her feel this way and she wondered if that had something to do with them both being witches. Or maybe just the fact that they knew each other so well.

Right now, all her thoughts didn't matter though, as they reached their climaxes in no time. Bonnie had never had a quickie before, especially not on top the kitchen counters, but she had to admit that she liked the feeling.

When Kai pulled out of her, both of them were still breathless. He pressed his forehead to her own and closed his eyes, his arms resting on the counter left and right next to Bonnie, caging her in that way. Bonnie smiled happily from the sight of vulnerability on his face. She found it adorable how he looked when he was letting his guard down fully. It reminded her of the young boy she had grown to love over the last few months. She soothingly put her arms around his torso and started caressing his back. Kai seemed to enjoy the feeling as he sighed and captured her lips in a tender kiss.

He pulled away from her slightly to look at her at eyelevel and smiled. "Good morning."

"Good morning.", Bonnie replied happily and pulled his body closer to hers with the help of her legs that were now wrapped around his lower half. "Well, that was unexpected.", she admitted.

"What do you mean?", Kai asked.

"This right here, and last night."

Suddenly, Kai's face turned concerned and sincere. He distanced himself from her a little as he asked. "Do you regret it?"

Bonnie retraced her hands from his back to cup his cheeks. She tried to put as much certainty as she could into her voice in order to erase all of Kai's doubts. "Not for a second."

Kai's eyes stayed alarmed and roamed over her face in search of any trace of insecurity on Bonnie's side. It was weird to see him having so many self-doubts, but she figured that it had to be hard finally being able to be with her after spending so many years wanting it. When he didn't find what he was looking for in her face, his features relaxed a little bit. He smiled weakly at her.

This look on his face reminded her so much of the sad kid she had encountered all those times in her dreams and just like when she saw that kid, she now felt the urge to make him feel better, to relieve some of the pain he felt. So, she pulled him down so that her lips were once more pressed to his. She made sure that the kiss said all the things she needed him to know but wasn't ready to tell him just yet. When she felt his hands come up to cup her face, she knew she had succeeded. In the back of her head, she wished she could have used this technique back in the dreams, it would have made a lot of situations much simpler if she could have just get his mind off things with a kiss (though this way their very first kiss had happened).

"Are you hungry?", Kai asked her when he pulled away.

She hadn't even thought about this until he asked her, but she instantly realized that she was indeed hungry.

"I wouldn't mind eating something.", she answered and apparently that made Kai really happy. She knew that he was a great cook. Back in the prison world, he made this amazing pasta for Thanksgiving, she remembered. But when the memory resurfaced, she quickly pushed it aside as the negative situation that followed said dinner came back into focus as well.

Kai was no saint, Bonnie had always known that. He had done some bad things to her while they were in the prison world and he had apologized for it over and over again. She had forgiven him for his actions, because how can she not? Being wrongfully imprisoned for more than a decade without a single soul to talk to, she understood that one-on-one human interactions could become difficult. She had decided to not hold this chapter of their lives against him and it was going to be okay, they were going to be okay.

"What would you like to eat?", Kai managed to get her out of her daze and she refocused her attention to the real person standing in front of her.

"I really don't want anything fancy. Just something that's in the fridge."

Kai's eyes widened as he heard her words. "Sister, there is no such thing as 'something that's in the fridge' with me."

"Somehow I already knew that.", Bonnie giggled.

"Let's see what I can come up with.", Kai turned to the fridge and opened it to take a look inside. "Hm, not much to work with but I think we can manage. You have anything against pancakes?"

"Yes!", Bonnie let out before she even knew what she was saying. Kai turned around to look at her questioningly. Like what kind of person didn't like pancakes? Bonnie would ask herself the same question if she hadn't had to endure Damon's awful pancakes for months in the prison world. Kai seemed to remember as well and quickly smiled at her.

"Alright, I'll make something else.", he said while turning his attention back to the fridge.

"Do you mind if I take a quick shower? Our midnight activities have me feeling a little sticky.", Bonnie said with a smirk.

Kai turned to look at her with amusement. "As you wish.", he told her and she smiled at him. When she wanted to pass by him though, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his chest. He pressed a soft kiss on her lips. "Breakfast will be ready when you are. Towels are in the top drawer in the bathroom."

He then let her go and turned his attention back to the content of the fridge. Bonnie felt butterflies going crazy in her stomach and she had to force herself to leave the kitchen. She really needed that shower. Picking up the Nirvana shirt that lay on the ground she made her way to the bathroom, shortly stopping by the bedroom to snatch one of Kai's boxers. She needed to cover her bottom if she wanted to stop all the sexy encounters she was having with him. Not that she minded, but there were a few things they needed to discuss and she needed a clear head for that- or as clear as it could get with all those feelings making her feel like she was high.

The shower was wonderful and even more needed than she had anticipated. When she stepped out of the shower the fresh air on her skin made her shiver, but when she quickly dried herself and put on Kai's shirt and boxers, she felt weirdly warm and comfortable. She brushed her hair but didn't bother to blow dry it. The anticipation to be close to Kai again was too strong to waist any more time.

Bonnie snuck back into the kitchen where Kai was fumbling with plates. He was now wearing boxers and a t-shirt himself. It seemed like he was nearly ready with the food, so Bonnie waited until he had put everything out of his hands and then she jumped up his back, clinging to him like a monkey. He laughed when she tried to wrap her legs around him and without problems, he spun her around so that she was standing in front of him. His lips were on hers faster than she could think and she giggled against them.

Suddenly, she lost her footing on the ground as Kai lifted her up and carried her over to the dining table in the living room. He gently placed her on one of the chairs and Bonnie now realized that he had arranged the table beautifully with some of the flowers from his neighbor and a huge pile of different plates. Some were filled with fruits, others with toast or scrambled eggs. While Bonnie was still observing everything on the table and wondering how he managed to do all of this in such short time, Kai left for the kitchen again and came back with a plate full of bacon. He placed one plate in front of her and the other on the other side of the table where he seated himself.

"You seem to be a freaking maniac in the kitchen. How did you pull this off in such short time?", Bonnie wondered out loud and Kai chuckled.

"Well, I have been doing my own cooking for over a decade, I learned a few things." Kai gestured towards the plates on the table, telling her to get started. Bonnie didn't wait to get asked twice as she felt like she hadn't eaten in days. For a while they ate in comfortable silence but soon Bonnie felt like he was sitting too far away from her, so she scooted closer with her chair, so she could put her legs over his lap. Kai let his free hand rest on her bare legs and let it wander over her skin absentmindedly.

Bonnie watched him eat the rest of his breakfast, as she was already done. She couldn't take her eyes off him, for some reason.

"Penny for your thoughts?", Kai said after a while and Bonnie only then realized how deeply she had dived into her mind.

She smiled at him. "Just got lost for a second. I guess, I can't bare looking at you for too long. I am going to lose my mind."

Kai's expression turned into a sad smile. He tried to cover it up quickly, but Bonnie still noticed. He had tried to hide his true feelings from her too often as a kid, she knew his move. So, she quickly withdrew her legs from his lap and leaned forward, inspecting his features.

"Hey, what's going on?", she asked as she reached out her hand to cover his.

Kai sighed, probably a little annoyed by her ability to read him this well. "I don't want to ruin this moment, Bon-", he tried to bluff it out but Bonnie cut him short.

"No, no, no. You're not going to shut me out. Forget it. Tell me what's on your mind."

Another sigh escaped him before he leaned back in his chair and kept his gaze stuck somewhere on the table. "I know we're still figuring out what's going on between us and I know we need time for that." He paused for a second. "But time is exactly something that I am currently not able to provide. I need to go back to Portland."

Bonnie's eyes widened in panic. Why did he have to go back to Portland? Did he mean, like forever? Bonnie had totally forgotten to ask how the negotiations had turned out when she saw him last night. Did something happen he hadn't told her about?

"What do you mean with that?", she asked with a shaky voice.

"The negotiations. Well, let's just say the Elders are stupid, old sons of bitches. They are trying to give me a hard time. Because Liv and Jo pledged for the move of the coven, the majority agreed to it. Now, they are trying to make my life a living hell once more by disagreeing on every single detail of the moving process. They want to discuss everything and they are not hurrying up at all. I know they are doing it to piss me off and to prevent me from gaining too much power. Bottom line is, the conditions of the move still need to be worked out and at the current pace it will surely take some time."

There was silence spreading between the two as Bonnie took in the new information. She understood that Kai needed to be negotiating the conditions himself, otherwise the Elders would never fully respect him and he needed their support if he really wanted to change things for the better in his coven. But she could also imagine how awfully stubborn those old witches could be. She only needed to imagine that it was the generation of Joshua Parker Kai was currently dealing with, most of who were probably still loyal to his father or even helped imprison Kai back in '94. All these thoughts made her worried that this negotiation might kill their blossoming relationship.

"How long will you be gone?", she asked in a low voice.

"Hard to tell. Could take a few weeks, or months. It's really hard to say. I'll only be able to be here on the weekends." He sat up straight and took both her hands in his. "I know this is less than ideal. Having a weekend-thing is not exactly a good basis to find out what this is and I understand if you want to back out."

The sadness in his voice hit Bonnie with full force. She didn't want him thinking that the obstacles thrown in her way were anything that would make her run for the hills. Of course, it wasn't going to be easy, but she wanted to make it work. She wanted him.

She got up from her seat and went over to his. Kai watched her climb onto his lap and looked into her eyes as she cupped his face. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, Parker. I know this won't be easy, but nothing between us ever was. I want this to work and I am willing to invest in this relationship, as long as you are."

Kai averted his gaze from her to look down onto his hands. "Relationship.", he mumbled in doubt if Bonnie used the word on purpose.

"Yes, relationship. Isn't that what this is?", she whispered, suddenly nervous if Kai was heading in the same direction as her.

"I'd like that.", Kai whispered as he leaned forward and nearly touched her lips with his. His breath tickled her and she closed the distance between them in an instant. The kiss sent a wave of butterflies through Bonnie's stomach and she wrapped her arms around his shoulder to pull him closer.

Even though she wanted to drown in this kiss, there were still things she wanted to talk about before anything could happen. That was why she leaned away from him, softly breaking the kiss.

"When do you have to leave?" Her voice initially went sadder.

"I'm afraid I only have until tomorrow. Jo is trying to hold everyone off and gave me a few days but that is all the time she can give me."

Bonnie nodded sadly, watching her hands in her lap. Yesterday and this morning had felt so good, like a dream come true. She wasn't really ready to give it up just yet, but she knew she had no other choice.

"Can you promise me something then?", Bonnie asked while still looking down. She felt Kai reach out to her and tug a strand of hair behind her ear before whispering "anything" into her ear. The word sent a shiver down her spine and a warmth that was starting to feel all too familiar when it came to Kai.

"Will you spend the rest of your remaining time in Mystic Falls with me?" Bonnie was finally brave enough to look into Kai's face and was surprised by the expression on his features. There was so much adoration in them that she wanted to pull him closer instantly.

Kai started to smile before he finally spoke. "My dear Bonnie, you won't get rid of me for the next 24 hours."

Bonnie bit her lower lip when Kai pulled her closer and started kissing her neck. It was ridiculous how much power this man had over her body, but she couldn't say she disliked it in any way.

Like he promised, Bonnie and Kai spend the next day by each other's sides. They never spent longer as going to the toilet apart, even showering together and falling asleep in each other's arms. It was a day full of bliss and love and Bonnie grew increasingly sadder the closer they got to Kai's departure.

When he started packing his stuff, Bonnie watched him from a chair in the living room. She had to fight back some tears and felt embarrassed about it. She didn't want Kai to see her so emotional, so she quickly wiped the tears away. Unfortunately, Kai knew her just as well as she knew him and he spotted her sour mood the moment he stepped into the living room. He sighed and went over to her.

"Please, don't cry. You make me feel like total dick for leaving." He caressed her cheek and Bonnie pushed her face into his touch while shedding another tear.

"I'm sorry. I don't want you to feel bad. I know that these negotiations are important and I will only profit from it in the future when you coven finally settles down here, but it just makes me so sad. I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay here, with me."

"And I want to stay here with you, too. Trust me. But I promise I'll be back next weekened and then we can be together again."

Bonnie nodded and smiled a sad smile. The prospect of having him back in a week was great, but only comforted her a little. "I wish I could come with you."

"You and me both." Kai leaned forward and kissed her forehead before getting up again and gathering the last of his things. Bonnie sighed and went into the bedroom where her dress from two nights prior was neatly folded on a chair. She hadn't bothered to go back to her place to get fresh stuff. She hadn't needed too much clothing anyways and if she did, she had put on one of Kai's shirts and sweatpants. Now, she really wasn't in the mood to pull it on again.

While she eyed the dress, she felt Kai step into the room behind her, watching her watch the dress.

"You wanna borrow my shirt and pants? I have a feeling you don't necessarily want to get back into that." Kai pointed over to the dress and smiled at her.

Bonnie hesitated for a moment. Sure, she didn't want to dress up right now and the prospect of having something of Kai's with her as long as he was away comforted her. But she knew she looked ridiculous in this outfit. Kai might like the way she looked but she knew she really looked like a woman that hadn't left her house in years. Kai looked amused by her hesitation and went to stand next to her, reaching out for her hand.

"I know, you feel like you are stealing my stuff and that is why you are hesitating.", Kai teased her and she rolled her eyes, trying to pull her hand away from his but failed. "If this is such a deal breaker for you, Bon, you can always return them."

Bonnie didn't understand the joke Kai was making and looked at him questioningly until she felt something slip from his hand into hers and she finally understood. When Kai let go of her hand, she was free to open her palm and look at the key he had just handed her. A key to his apartment.

"Kai, I-", Bonnie tried to find a way to express how she was feeling but Kai interrupted her.

"Don't read anything into it. It is mostly selfish of me to give you a key. I mean, someone has to water all of these flowers while I am away."

Bonnie slapped Kai lightly on the arm, but smiled wrapping her fingers around the precious thing, like she was afraid to lose it. She looked back up to him in awe and knew what a huge gesture this was. She got on her tiptoes and placed the softest of kisses on the edge of his mouth. He smiled at her in return, keeping his hands buried in his pockets. For safety, Bonnie was sure, they had no time for any distractions right now.

Kai breathed in heavily and sighed. "Come on, I'll drop you off at your place." Bonnie nodded, her heart feeling like it weighted 10 times more as she followed him out of the room. Kai grabbed his luggage and keys and closed the door behind both of them before placing one hand around her shoulders and walking down the stairs.

The drive to her house was silent, because neither knew what to say to make the other feel better. They knew it wasn't going to be a long separation, but at the stage their relationship was currently in, it felt like every minute they spend apart was too much.

When Kai parked the car in Bonnie's driveway, Bonnie felt like crying again. It was like he sensed her sadness because he turned to her and pulled her in for a soft kiss. Bonnie didn't mind that they were in public and anyone of her neighbors could see them. All she wanted right now, was him.

"Call me as soon as you land in Portland.", Bonnie said between kisses.

"Promise.", Kai whispered before kissing her again.

For five more minutes, they kept making out in the car. Bonnie was sure that at least a dozen of her neighbors had run past them, giving them an annoyed look, but she didn't mind. Suddenly, Bonnie broke away from Kai, leaving both of them wanting more. Kai looked at her with a sad expression and Bonnie smiled back at him.

"You need to catch your flight.", she explained and he sighed, nodding.

"I know."

They locked eyes once more for a few moments before Bonnie turned around and opened the passenger door. She stepped outside and closed the door behind her. When she turned around, she motioned for him to let the window down and so he did.

"Have a good flight. And keep safe. I don't want a creepy Elder hexing you for some stupid comment you made."

Kai chuckled. "I'll try and keep the commenting to a minimum then. Besides, Jo will be there to keep me in check. She wants this to go down just as smoothly as I do."

"Good. I trust your sister. She can handle you. Tell her to slap you if you decide to become a problem rather than a solution.", she joked and Kai looked mock-offended.

"You should go.", Bonnie whispered, hoping that he didn't hear her.

"I should.", he answered as he kept looking at her. Then he broke their eye contact and turned on the engine of the car. Bonnie stepped back from the vehicle and watched as Kai got ready to drive off. "I'll call you later, Bon. Don't enjoy yourself too much while I'm away." He leaned to the passenger side window to get a better look at her and send her a blown kiss before speeding away without giving her the chance to say anything more. It was probably for the best. One of them had to be the responsible one and just leave, otherwise they would have never said good bye.

"I won't, you can be sure of that.", Bonnie said to the disappearing car, knowing that Kai wouldn't be able to hear her before getting inside the house.

**Author's note: Well, we're nearing the end of this. I need to reread the last chapter and then this story is done. I am very grateful for all the reviews and reads. Thank you guys. See you in the last chapter. **


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

It was a lazy Saturday and Bonnie was lying on her bed, texting with Elena. She wasn't particularly interested in the things Elena talked about, mainly because she only spoke about the new hottie in town that kept staring at her like a creep in history class. But Elena was her best friend and she had been through a lot lately, so she could use something good in her life for once. And if Bonnie needed to listen to her pining over this guy, so be it.

"Bonnie, child. Can you come down here?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. What was so important that she needed to abandon her semi-conversation with Elena. Bonnie quickly told her via text, that her Grams just called for her and waited until Elena replied. That took some time, which lead to her Grams calling for her once more, now sounding a little more impatient.

"Coming, Grams.", Bonnie called back like the spoiled teen she was and moved to get off her bed.

When she passed the mirror next to her door, she let her view roam over her appearance for a short moment. She shrugged. It was Saturday and no one could expect her to look like a princess. There was a party later that day that she wanted to go to with Elena and Caroline. She'd dress up then but until then, Grams would have to deal with this version of her.

Bonnie jumped down the stairs of the old cottage. It was small but combatable. She much preferred it to her father's house, and since he was always traveling for work purposes, she didn't spend much time there anywhere. This was her real home.

When Bonnie reached the end of the stairs, she expected a rather annoyed looking older Bennett woman standing in front of it, judging Bonnie for her lack of takt concerning the older generation, but there was no one. Bonnie frowned. Her Grams had called for her, right?

"Grams, where are you?", she called through the old house but didn't get a reply. Bonnie started searching for the older woman in the kitchen but didn't find anyone. When she made her way to the living room, she nearly shrieked when she spotted a young man sitting at the dining table.

"Hi." The man, or rather boy- he couldn't be older than Bonnie herself- raised a hand in greeting and looked at her innocently.

Bonnie tried to regain her posture and breathed in a little heavier then usual. She didn't say anything but just kept inspecting the stranger that was just happening to sit in her living room. She knew it was rude, especially because she was really staring at him, but she had no idea what this was all about. Where the hell was her grandmother?

The guy seemed to not mind her weirdo-behavior because there was an amused smile playing around his lips as he watched her watch him. Bonnie saw dimples on his cheeks. That sight sent a weird feeling to Bonnie's stomach. She realized that he was in general a pretty attractive guy. His dark hair and bright grey eyes contrasted each other. His smile was cunning and gave him a sort of edge. All of this was topped off with the general mischief in his eyes and the dark look he wore, black jeans, black boots and a dark shirt with a band name printed on it, which Bonnie had never heard of before.

The stranger tilted his head while keeping his eyes stuck on her. She felt weirdly uncomfortable and wished she had bothered with wearing decent clothes.

"Can you talk?", the boy asked with a little disbelief.

Bonnie frowned. "Of course, I can talk. What kind of question is that? And who the hell are you? And where is my grandmother?"

Bonnie just started rambling in front of the guy and didn't even let him speak. He was about to open his mouth and talk when Sheila Bennett's figure appeared next to Bonnie. The door to the cellar was wide open, telling Bonnie she had been down there this entire time.

"Oh good, you two already introduced each other.", the elderly woman said while slipping passed Bonnie and making her way over to the stranger.

"Actually, your granddaughter preferred to stare.", the boy implied smiling mischievously. Bonnie shot daggers at him.

Sheila turned around to look at her granddaughter with a warning glance. "Child, where are your manners? Didn't I teach you better?"

When Sheila sat next to him, Bonnie rolled her eyes and took a few steps closer. "Hi, my name is Bonnie Bennett, I am 17 years old and a junior at Mystic Falls High. My favorite TV Show currently is Lost. My favorite color is blue and I dream to grow up and become a Superhero one day.", Bonnie told the stranger with spite in her tone. Something about him seemed to rub her the wrong way and she had no idea why. She looked back at her Grams, knowing that she didn't like her behavior. "Was that good?"

Sheila glared at her. "Not quite.", she looked down on Bonnie's hands and tilted her head in the guys direction. Bonnie sighed and extended her hand to the boy. "Really nice to meet you."

He kept looking at her hand as if she was going to zap him or something but, in the end, he reached out his own hand, a smile prominent on his face crying out to mean nothing good. It was obvious he wasn't bothered by her little power play with her grandmother at all.

"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Malachai Parker."

The moment their fingers touched, something flashed in front of Bonnie's eyes. It was only snapshots, snapshots of scenes that seemed to have her and him in it. It seemed like a lifetime full of memories that she hadn't even had yet.

Intuitively, Bonnie pulled away from him and rubbed her fingers gently. She didn't want to look obvious to him or her grams, so she just sat down on the chair closest to her. She had no idea if Malachai had seen the same thin as her, but if he did, he didn't look like it.

"So, this is the book I was talking about.", Sheila said after Bonnie had sat down.

Malachai turned to look at the book Sheila had brought from downstairs and flicked it open. It was a Grimoire; Bonnie could see but she had no idea why Grams would show this to him. It was like Sheila could sense her question, because she turned and looked at her.

"Kai is from a coven in the North West. The Gemini Coven. They are allies of ours.", Sheila explained.

"Then why haven't I heard of them until now?", Bonnie asked, not taking her eyes of 'Kai'.

"Because-", he looked up and looked her straight in the eyes. "- it's run by crazy, paranoid, secretive weirdos."

Something burned inside her as he kept his intense gaze locked with hers. Bonnie tried not to look away, but she felt more and more uncomfortable. No, not uncomfortable, more like, heated. Desire and want flashed through her and another feeling as well. The feeling of feeling safe and secure and then something in Bonnie clicked. She knew this already, she knew all of this. And she knew him… _Oh no, not again._

The shock over the realization that this must be a dream and she was trespassing in his subconscious again, was probably visible on her face. At least, Kai tilted his head and watched her curiously.

"Bonnie, I thought, since Kai isn't leaving until tomorrow afternoon, why don't you take him along to that young adult meeting of yours?"

Bonnie blinked, still a little dazed by the situation she was in. "Young adult what? Do you- do you mean the Bonfire?"

"You know what I mean, child."

Bonnie was staring at Kai and not listening to what her grandmother said. For some reason Kai looked right back at her, but she couldn't read the expression on his face. Was there a bit of amusement playing in his eyes or was she imagining it? It would fit his character perfectly, even when he didn't understand the situation at all, he would still find pleasure in Bonnie's uncomfortableness.

When she heard her grams clearing her throat, Bonnie turned and watched her. She still owed her grams an answer. "Oh, yeah. I mean, why not. I mean, if you want to come?"

The prospect of spending more time with Kai delighted her but also frightened her. What if she did some spell again and he would end up being mad at her. Or what if she accidentally changed the timeline in a way that she could never return it to the way it was before?

Kai seemed to be pleased at the moment, though. Smiling happily. "I'd be delighted."

"God, then that's settled. Oh, I completely forgot about that tea I offered you. I'll be right back.", Sheila said and stood up, releasing Bonnie out of her stupor. When Grams passed her, she looked at her granddaughter intensely and said, "Be nice." Before she disappeared into the kitchen.

Bonnie wanted to beg her grandmother to stay because she had no idea how to behave, she didn't know what was going on, because this was certainly not like all these other times she had visited Kai in his past before. It didn't make sense and Sheila seemed to get along with this Kai pretty well. She could occupy him while Bonnie searched for an answer. Then again, the feeling of having Kai for her own right now was tempting. She hadn't seen him in so long.

"So, Bonnie- you have a boyfriend?"

Bonnie's eyes widened at his question. "What?"

"Are you single or is there a lucky bastard that holds your heard?", he patiently repeated his question like he was talking to a toddler.

Bonnie's heart jumped when she thought about the answer. She did have a boyfriend. In real life at least. But she couldn't exactly tell him, that _he_ was that lucky bastard that held her heart, could she? He would be so confused. Also, she couldn't say no because it was simply just a lie, even though in this dream timeline, she was indeed single.

"Lost your voice again?", he asked after a while, since she didn't give him an answer.

"I- I-. No. I haven't. I just- As a matter of fact there is someone I really care about, but that is actually none of your business, is it?"

Kai smiled devilishly. "Oh, how cute. Young love." He grabbed his chest with his right hand in an overdramatic gesture, mocking her. "Don't you want to know if I have a girlfriend?"

Bonnie looked at him and felt challenged by his stare. Her heart was beating like crazy and she realized that she was afraid of his answer. What if he did have a girlfriend in this world?

"I'm not really interested.", she said and watched as Kai got up from his seat, went around the table and placed himself in the chair next to her.

"Oh, but I think you do.", he claimed and smiled. His gaze went to her lips and Bonnie shivered a little. She wanted to lean forward and capture his lips so badly, but his closeness sent her in some kind of stupor. When he leaned forward a little all she could do was look at him.

"Let me tell you about my girlfriend, Bonnie." Kai whispered in a low voice that did funny things to Bonnie. She fought the urge to close her eyes and look away, because she didn't want him to see how hurt she was.

When Kai continued, he looked her right in the eyes. "She is a wonderful human being. A witch, actually. She's got spunk. A fire, no one can really control. Sometimes not even her. But she is the most loyal and caring person I ever came across. A little judgy at points but I still love her for it. She is the only person brave enough to call me out on my shit and I adore her for it. We got off on the wrong foot, or maybe we started good and then it turned downhill before we got better. Depends on who you ask. But I would never change a single thing I went through with her, because in the end, we came out of it stronger then ever."

Bonnie blinked at little. His description sounded awfully familiar. But it couldn't be.

"It doesn't hurt that she is freaking gorgeous either, you know.", he continues. Not waiting for her to say something. "When I think of her caramel skin, it's hard to not start daydreaming. She is pretty small, but damn she has it all. Smarts, beauty, charisma and don't get me started on her smile. But the most breathtaking part of her, are her beautiful green eyes that hold so- much- love-in them."

The last part was whispered into her ear, making Bonnie shiver before she even got what he had said. Her. He was describing her. Bonnie leaned back on instinct and watched this Kai intensely. His gaze was stormy, but he was still wearing this mischievous grin on his face. But nothing on his face indicated any kind of mocking. He was serious. And that was when he started bursting out laughing.

In that moment, Bonnie realized who was actually sitting in front of her. "Kai? What the fuck?" She reached out and smacked his arm, which made him wince but at least it shut him up.

"Ouch, Bonster. That really hurt.", Kai said and rubbed his arm.

"You fucking deserved it. What the hell is this, Kai? Where are we?"

Kai grinned at her again as he leaned towards her. "This, my darling, is a dream." Kai opened is arms in an overexaggerated gesture, therefore looking a bit like a mad man presenting his invention to take over the world.

Bonnie's eyes widened in shock. "Kai, you didn't. Tell me you didn't do something stupid. We _just_ broke the last spell, and it was fucking hard to do, why would you go and-"

Bonnie wanted to go on, but Kai had put a finger onto her lips, shutting her up. "Relax Bon, none of this is real."

He removed his finger from her lips and smiled at her. "None of it? So, there won't be some freakish consequence to anything that happens right now?"

"Bonster, this is just a dream that I manipulated a little bit. Nothing out of the ordinary, I promise."

Bonnie raised one eyebrow at his comment. "Yeah? Then why are you here in the first place? And why the hell do you look like this?"

Kai laughed. "Because I realized that I have a tone of childhood memories of you, but you were always an adult in them. None of you as a kid. So, I figured, why not give you a memory of me when you were younger. One where we actually get to be the same age for once."

Something inside her told her she should be offended, but the look in Kai's eyes told her that it was more of a romantic gesture. He knew Bonnie his entire life, he just wanted her to be able to say the same, to have a history to look back to, one that was without any conflict between them. Her heart missed a beat when she thought about how life would have been if she had known Kai Parker at the age of 17.

The thought made her smile and Kai returned her smile. She felt the intense need to lean forward and capture his lips when she realized something and her smile abruptly fell.

"So, you're not really here?"

Kai's face became sober as well. He sighed. "No, Bon, I am still in Portland. It's going to take longer than I anticipated."

Bonnie looked to the ground, tears threatening to fill her eyes. She missed him and having him close but not close at all, it wasn't really helping much.

"Hey.", his soft voice coated her and she felt his hand reach out to cup her face, making her look up. "I can leave if you want."

Bonnie quickly shook her head. No, she didn't want him to go. Even if this wasn't real, she felt his hand on her cheek just as if it was really there. If that was the only closeness she would get in a while, she would gladly take it.

In the next moment, Bonnie finally caved in to her need to kiss him and she was amazed at how willing and eager Kai reciprocated her kiss. Everything around them faded, as the teenagers engaged in a kiss that turned more passionate by the minute. Nothing mattered, except for them and both of them were content.

Until a female voice cleared its throat and Bonnie finally remembered the presence of her grandmother. She abruptly leaned back from Kai, just in time to see him do the same. Just like two teenagers that had been caught doing something inappropriate.

"I see the two of you are getting to know each other." Sheila made her way to the table and stopped behind the two young witches. To Bonnie's surprise she didn't sound a bit judgmental.

Bonnie's eyebrows rose. "You don't think this is weird?"

"Ah, come on baby, I might be old and dead, but I am not from yesterday. I knew what was going on between you two the second he stepped into my home.", Sheila explained.

Kai and Bonnie threw each other a confused look. "Is that your doing? Like, is she connected to your consciousness or why did she say she was dead?" Bonnie asked confused.

Kai frowned as he looked back at Sheila. "No, I have nothing to do with that, I swear."

"Oh, good lord, calm down you two. It's like you never saw a spirit in your life before."

They again exchanged a look before Kai shrugged. This was obviously not the weirdest thing that ever happened to him and Bonnie had to agree. A smile spread across her face, when she realized this might actually be the imprint of her grandmother's spirit in her head. Bonnie suddenly jumped up and ran towards her grandmother, giving her a huge hug.

She felt Sheila chuckle as she hugged her back. When Bonnie finally let her go, she placed her hand softly to Kai's cheeks, who looked up at her with delight. Now, Bonnie remembered how fond he had been of her grams and it had obviously been a mutual feeling, given the warmth in Grams eyes.

"It's good to see you, boy.", Sheila whispered.

"Good to see you too, Sheils."

All three of them smiled happily. It dawned on Bonnie this right here was the very first time in almost 30 years that they had come together like this. And it would probably be the last time.

Bonnie's dark thoughts were probably reflecting on her face because she suddenly felt her grandmother stroke her cheek. "Don't be downcast, child. This is a gift. I am not going to spend this moment with my two favorite witches in sorrow."

Warmth build in Bonnie's chest at her grandmother's words, not only for herself but also for the fact that her grandmother cared so deeply for the man she loved. It made a question come to the forefront of her mind, that had been banished by her strong emotional reaction.

While her grandmother sat down opposite the pair, Bonnie turned her head in her direction. "So, you are okay with this?"

Sheila chuckled. "My dear girl, you have to be a bit more precise then that. What am I supposed to be okay about? My death? This meeting?" Sheila tilted her head a little and smiled knowingly before she added. "The two of you?"

Beside her, she felt Kai shift in his seat. Could it be that he was nervous about Sheila's thoughts about their relationship? Bonnie shook her head lightly, abandoning that thought and returned her attention to her grandmother, suddenly feeling tense herself.

Nervously, like if she didn't even want to say it out loud, Bonnie nodded and said. "Well, about us."

Sheila's gaze shifted between Bonnie and Kai, who's body was still facing Bonnie, his gaze turned to the older woman. The look the elder gave both of them was equally taxing and intense as it was frightening, and Bonnie instinctively reached out her hand to find Kai's in his lap. He gently squeezed it.

It felt like an eternity passed until Sheila finally answered. A light and loving smile formed on her face. "My darlings, it is out of question that I am okay with this. In fact, I have been waiting for this day since the very first time I met you, both of you in fact."

Bonnie and Kai shared a look of confusion. "What exactly do you mean, Sheils?", Kai asked.

"I am talking about that day we met, Kai. The day I took you to the hospital about your broken arm. It was Bonnie who introduced us, remember?"

Something inside Bonnie clicked and she suddenly understood. She looked at Kai who seemed to have a little more trouble recalling the events, but in his defense, it had been 30 years.

Sheila recognized his expression just as Bonnie did and elaborated. "Bonnie was visiting you. She had found you hurt and afraid. I was in Portland for a conference your father had called for. She knew that you needed help and that she might not have enough time to do it herself. So, she came to me for help. I had never seen her before in my life, because to me she hadn't been born yet. But the feeling I had when she touched me, told me I could trust her, that we were family. So, I did what she asked me to and looked after you. I knew from the very first moment I talked to Bonnie, that she cared about the young boy very much. And as I watched you grow up, I wondered what had happened to the woman that was so hellbent on saving you. She would have never abandoned you.", Sheila sighed.

"And when I watched _you_," Sheila turned to Bonnie now. "grow up. I finally understood. There was never another outcome to this. You two were inevitable to me. So, don't ask me if I am okay with this. I had 30 years to prepare for my grand-baby to fall in love with this wonderful young man. And frankly, I am more than relieved that this day is finally here."

Bonnie's heart felt heavy in her chest from the kind words her grandmother had said. She smiled warmly at the elderly woman and then turned to face Kai. She expected him to be just as pleased as she was, but his face was filled with doubt. Bonnie wanted to say something, but her grandmother beat her to it.

"Don't you worry, my dear Kai. I might be dead, but I still know what is good for my granddaughter. I wouldn't trust her with anyone else but you."

A ghost of a smile flashed across his face and Bonnie knew that he was finally accepting that he was a good match to her. When he finally turned to look at her, his eyes were shining with affection. Without hesitation, he grabbed her by her neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss. Bonnie could only chuckle against his lips.

When they parted, Kai smiled at Bonnie happily before turning to Sheila once more. "Thank you, Sheils. For everything you ever done for me. I don't know where I would be without you."

Sheila smiled warmly but shook her head. "Dear boy, I never really did much. In fact, I think it is time for me to apologize to you. I never had the chance to say it before, but I am so very sorry for what your father put you through. You didn't deserve his cruelty and I wish I could have done more to prevent you from going to that awful prison world in the first place."

"There is no need to apologize. You did me a solid by letting me rot there. If I hadn't, I would have never come here.", Kai turned back to Bonnie and smiled lovingly at her. His dimples making Bonnie weak once more.

Before he could pull her into another kiss, Sheila interrupted them once more. "So, I guess it is time for me to go now. I did my part, I said what I needed to say and now the ancestors are calling me back."

Bonnie's head turned quickly in the direction of her grandmother. "Now? But there is so much more I want to tell you. I don't want you to go."

Bonnie was already on her way over to her grandmother when she said this and threw her arms around her. Sheila snickered as she returned the hug.

"My dear, I live on borrowed time these days. I am just so grateful to have had this opportunity. I doubt this will be the last we see of each other, child. Anyways, you don't need me anymore. You have someone else to confide in now." Sheila pulled away from Bonnie and held her at an arms length to look at her now. "Besides, this was never my dream spell to begin with, I just hijacked it. You have a good live, Bonnie. Be happy, be bold, be kind and love. And always remember, I will always keep an eye on you."

Bonnie's eyes started to water. She always hated to say goodbye to her grandmother. "I love you, Grams. And I miss you."

"I love you, too, child.", she turned around and looked at Kai, gesturing her head to indicate for him to join them. Kai didn't wait and moved over to the two Bennett women that changed his life in such a strong way. He embraced them in his arms and kissed Sheila's temples in a silent goodbye.

When the three of them felt power brewing over their heads, they knew it was time for Sheila to go. Kai let go of Sheila and she turned her attention to Bonnie for another second. She cupped her cheeks with her hands and kissed her forehead.

"Remember, this is not my spell. So, why don't you two kids make the most of what time you have left in this dream land and have a nice time. Make some memories." Sheila winked at Kai at the last part and dragged herself away from Bonnie.

The moment her grandmother had let go of her, she scooted closer to Kai and let him envelope her in his strong arms. They both watched as the imprint of her grandmother faded and when she was gone, Bonnie buried her face in Kai's chest. She wasn't necessarily heartbroken, on the contrary, she was happy that life had given her this chance to see her grandmother once more but saying goodbye to the one person that had loved her unconditionally for her entire life was hard.

For a long moment, the two just stayed entwined and Kai soothingly brushed his hand up and down her spine. It made her feel safe, and when she decided she was done being sad, Bonnie pulled back and smiled at Kai.

"Thank you, for being here."

He smiled and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Where else would I be?"

That made Bonnie smile, too, and she decided to take her grandmother's last advice. "Wanna get out of here?"

Kai blinked. "You still wanna go to that bonfire?"

Bonnie shrugged. "Grams is right. I don't know when I'll see you again properly so I will make the most of this. And I remember this party being pretty good, if you don't count the vampire attack on Matt's sister, of course."

Kai chucked. "I have a feeling this time, there won't be any unfortunate accidents."

Bonnie smiled as she started pulling at his arm. Kai only frowned. "Where are you going?"

"To the party."

"That's not for another few hours, Bon."

"I know. But I can think of a pretty good way to spend the time until we have to go." Now, Bonnie winked at a dumbstruck Kai and started running up the stairs to her bedroom. It took Kai a few seconds to comprehend what she was implying but then she heard footsteps behind her and right when she tried to open her bedroom door, she felt arms encircle her waist and she screamed in delight.

**Author's note: So, I said this was going to be the last chapter, but I edited the chapter and thought that it was better to split it up. There is going to be a short epilogue after this very soon. So stay tuned and thanks a lot for reading. **


	13. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

_A few weeks later_

Bonnie was lying on her bed, almost ready to go to sleep. She had brushed her teeth and had changed into her sleeping pants and shirt, more like Kai's boxers she stole from his apartment and a fresh 90s Rock band-shirt. She had felt more comfortable wearing his things and she went back to his apartment every few days to get a fresh shirt, because she wanted it to smell like him and not her.

A million thoughts ran through Bonnie's head, which was the reason she had trouble falling asleep. Many of those thoughts moved around Kai and their relationship, but also about her friends. She had told them about Kai and her a few days ago, because small town gossip was a bitch and Caroline had called her.

Damon seemed to be the least happy for her. It was no secret that he despised Kai and had some weird claim on Bonnie, that no one really understood. But Caroline and Elena had been very supportive.

She had called Kai in the evening to tell him what happened. He was surprisingly cool about it, probably because he liked the fact that Bonnie had to officially call him her boyfriend. They had talked over the phone every night when Bonnie was about to sleep but tonight, Kai hadn't picked up when she had called half an hour ago. It's not that she doubted him in any way or distrusted him, she just missed him and that was why she was still lying atop the covers of her bed, hoping he would call her back.

Bonnie shook her head. She was behaving like a lovesick teenager. Deciding that she had waited long enough, she climbed underneath the covers and lay on her side, trying to fall asleep when she heard a familiar voice.

"Miss me that much, heh?"

Bonnie's eyes popped open and she nearly jumped on Kai's figure lying next to her in the bed. She hadn't even notice he had come in, but she quickly understood why she didn't, when Kai motioned for her to stay right where she was.

"Wait, Bon. I'm not really here. This is a hologram."

Bonnie stopped in her tracks and watched the image of Kai lying in her bed. It looked like him and if he hadn't mentioned it, she would have never guessed that he was astral projecting himself.

"Damn, this is good. Why haven't you done this before?", Bonnie asked while inspecting him.

"Because, the bitchy Elder didn't want to teach me until today. Maybe he was afraid I would astral project me into his bedroom as well.", Kai chuckled while Bonnie lay back down.

"So, I can't touch you?", she asked him, already knowing the answer.

Kai shook his head. "Sorry, even magic isn't that advanced yet."

Bonnie groaned. "This sucks. I want you to be here with me. I miss you. This situation is really making me sick."

"I know.", Kai tried to sooth her. Weirdly, he had become the voice of reason on this topic and Bonnie was the impulsive one. "But what if I told you, that it wouldn't be like this any longer."

Bonnie turned her head to him again, her eyes trying to spot the mischief in his face but he looked completely honest. "What do you mean?", she dared to ask, afraid he wasn't telling the truth.

"I'm coming home, Bon."

Before a shriek could escape her moth, she turned sat up straight and watched him. "For how long?"

Kai smiled at her suspicion and mirrored her movement, sitting down cross legged. "Forever, I hope."

That was when Bonnie couldn't keep it down anymore. She let out a squeal of delight and wanted to jump right into Kai's arms before she remembered he wasn't really there. "Oh my god, Kai. Really? I can't believe it. You finally managed to settle everything in Portland?"

"Mostly, yeah. The important things are settled. Everything else the Elders want taken care of is something the younger generations don't really care about, so I'll let them handle it themselves."

Bonnie squealed again and jumped up and down on the bed making Kai laugh. "When are you going to come back?"

"I'll take the last flight out of Portland tomorrow. Wanna come pick me up from the airport?"

"You bet I will. Even if it is in the middle of the night. You're not going to get rid of me that night."

"I'm counting on it, Bonster."

They smiled at each other, each looking more delighted then the other. "I wish I could kiss you right now.", Kai said and Bonnie felt her heart miss a beat.

"Well, you're going to have to wait a few more hours for that."

"It'll be totally worth it."

They kept talking for another hour before Bonnie nearly fell asleep listening to him tell her about the last time he had annoyed Jo so hard, she had hit him with the paper she was reading. Before he could end his story, he told her to stop fighting and finally rest. She reluctantly agreed, only because she knew that the next time she would fall asleep would be in his arms.

* * *

_Five years later_

A groan next to her woke her up, but she kept fighting to stay asleep. Sleep was too precious right now, whatever it was. It had to wait.

She finally woke up when she heard her name being call in a husky morning voice, clearly filled with annoyance.

"Bon-nie. Wake up." An arm hit her across her chest lightly to assure she would really wake. "You wanted that ugly mutt, now go and take care of the damn thing."

A huge bundle of plush was placed on her chest and a wet tongue instantly went out to lick her face.

"Ergh, Yuki stop it.", Bonnie told the small Australian Shepard she had talked Kai into getting a few months ago. She started giggling before she finally got out of bed, ignoring Kai who was already back in the dreamland and went downstairs to the kitchen, Yuki in tow.

Bonnie prepared Yuki's food, which the young lady devoured.

After that the young dog went straight for the back door and started scratching on it, so Bonnie opened it and the puppy ran outside, storming all over the back yard. Bonnie watched the dog for a few moments before she went to the kitchen and made some coffee. Placing a blanket from the living room across her shoulders, she took her coffee and went outside into the fresh May morning and sad down on the sunbed lounger. While watching the dog play happily in the generous garden, Bonnie's thoughts drifted off, so she didn't notice Kai approaching her.

"Isn't it a little fresh to be sitting outside this early?", he asked her while leaning onto the open back door.

Bonnie craned her head in his direction and smiled. "I like the early May mornings. The air is always so fresh." Bonnie took a sip off her coffee and scooted over on the lounger, giving Kai space to scoot behind her. She fiddled with the blanket so that it would cover both of them. When Kai had settled down behind her, she snuggled into his chest, feeling his arms wrap around her stomach from behind.

Kai placed a soft kiss in the nape of her neck and Bonnie closed her eyes briefly. Together, they enjoyed the silence of the early morning.

"You should have stayed in bed.", Bonnie said into the silence after a while.

"Why would I, when my two favorite girls are having a blast out here?"

Bonnie chuckled because of his stupid joke, but her heart warmed as well. Even though Kai had been against having a dog, Yuki had seemed to have grown on him immensely. That was a good sign. She would have to rely on his ability to care about others sooner rather than later.

"You are a complete idiot, you know that?", Bonnie joked and relaxed into Kai's chest even more before giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, I know." With that Kai grabbed Bonnie's cup and took a huge sip from it. After swallowing, he crunched his nose in disgust. "Damn, what the hell are you drinking, Bon? Tastes like Rainwater."

"It's coffee, you dumbass." Bonnie took the cup back from him.

"What kind of coffee tastes like this? Did you buy a new brand?"

"I did. It's decaf." Bonnie took another sip of the coffee in her hand, which, and she had to agree with him there, tasted like shit. But, this was going to be her reality now.

"Decaf? Since when are you drinking de-" Kai paused, frozen behind her. Bonnie had to hide a grin that was starting to appear on her face. She hadn't planned on telling him this way, but now there was no going back.

Kai took the cup out of her hands and placed it on the coffee table next to them, before making her get up and turn so she would be facing him. He looked at her expectantly, not saying a word and Bonnie couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I'm pregnant."

Kai's eyes widened in excitement. His face light up in delight and he smiled like a little child on Christmas, showing his dimples. "Are you kidding me?", he said with laughter in his voice.

Bonnie's heart beat like crazy when she shook her head and Kai reached out to her and pulled her into a bear hug. They both laughed in pure happiness before Kai pulled away and placed a passionate kiss on Bonnie's lips.

"When the hell were you planning on telling me?", Kai asked while looking down her body, to rest on her stomach.

"I've only known for two days. I had this whole reveal planned for our anniversary, but well I guess the secret is out now."

Kai was so delighted, he wasn't even capable of being mad at her right now. She hadn't seen him this happy since the day she had agreed to marry him.

"Are you happy?", Bonnie asked him, even though she could read the answer on his face.

"I am the happiest man on the planet right now. But, tell me, how are you?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I'm a little nauseous sometimes, but right now. I am just happy."

Suddenly, Kai's expression changed. "You need to tell me everything. I mean, I have no idea what to do. What are you allowed to eat, how should we prepare? All of it. I-"

Bonnie placed her finger over his lips in order to shut him up. "Shhh, relax. It's still early. I have a doctor's appointment next week, if you like you can come along and ask all your questions to the doctor yourself, okay?"

Kai nodded and Bonnie finally dropped her fingers from his lips. He instantly started grinning again.

"God, I love you Bonnie Bennett-Parker.", Kai whispered and Bonnie's heart missed a beat.

"I love you, too Malachai Parker."

When their lips met again, it was the sweetest of kisses. In the far, they could hear Yuki bark in delight and they both turned to look at the little monster.

"Guess the house will be pretty packed soon.", Bonnie said leaning her head onto Kai's shoulder.

"I guess. But it's going to be magical."

Bonnie looked up at him and smiled. She was going to grow old with this wonderful person she had come to love. No matter how bumpy the road had been for them. Not matter how many times she had to save him from himself in order to get him to this point. She would do all of it again, in a heartbeat. If someone would have told her 6 years ago, that she would find the love of her life in Kai Parker, she would have send them flying into the next wall. But now, all she wanted to do was stay close to him and enjoy the road that was still ahead of them.

* * *

**Author's note: Oh my god, this is the first story I actually finished. Wow. It is also the first story that had a moderate length, I kind of tend to dragging this out. Anyway, a huuuuge thank you to all of you who read, commented and followed. I am very glad this little story had some faces break into a smile, more than I could have wished for. So, thank you. It was a pleasure to write this thing and I hope you enjoyed it just a little bit. So, peace out. See you around. **


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